Rubens Albuquerque, Ember desk (RECYCLED & RESCUED 2024)

Country:

Brazil

Video tour:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6SLJnlLxxK/?igsh=OWF4cnJ0NnFjZXJq

A Pink Ipe tree (Handroanthus impetiginosus) uprooted during a storm near my house a few months back got me reflecting on the incredible power inherent in an incorporeal force like the wind. As I witnessed this paradoxical scene, I was inspired to design a desk with slender lines, but with the sturdiness of such dense woods such as Ipe (which I used for the legs and aprons) and Brazilwood (Paubrasilia echinata). The latter was sourced from the front door of our old house when we renovated it and repurposed into the table top of this desk. When developing this idea, the most important points for me were the lightness of the design, the possibility of partial disassembly and the use of joints that would showcase the contrasting colors of the two types of wood. To achieve this, I created semi-rigid joints between the legs, end-aprons and the table top that do not require glue or other fasteners. The side-aprons were attached to the table top with bolts. Furthermore, inlays of the yellowish Ipe conceal the remaining slots in the end grain of the Brazilwood. The legs and aprons were given three coats of dewaxed platinum shellac, and the table-top five coats of Olio Basile, which is made from extracts of the native Brazilian flora.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.