Curly ash, maple, cocobolo
38″L x 3″H x 8″D
How to transform a single, small board into an object large enough to have real presence in a room? A bold, horizontal dash across an otherwise bare wall–simplicity itself. With this answer, the idea of a floating shelf with a single drawer tucked underneath was born.
The shelf’s initial impression of simplicity, however, resolves into complexity and detail: its surface broadens from left to right; the same asymmety is reflected in the hand-carved drawer pull; hundreds of tiny gouge marks weave along the naturally flowing edge. More broadly, but just as crucially, the drawer is carefully positioned to add both tension and balance.
All of this is done in service to the wood itself, which resounds with its own version of complexity. From straight, quiet, quartersawn grain emerge ripples and curls that undulate along the length of the shelf’s top, while a palette of cool, gray browns and straw-like yellows serve as background for vivid black and red streaks.
