Overview
The Australian Timber Design Awards have named Hydrowood the 2016 winner of the Furniture and Joinery Application Category for their project The Pieman Collection.
Designed and produced locally, The Pieman Collection is the first exclusive range of furniture made using a new source of Australian specialty timbers sustainably salvaged from the hydro lakes of Tasmania. Named for its timber source, Lake Pieman, the collection is a unique collaboration of the primary producer, designers and manufacturer – a ‘paddock to plate’ experience rarely seen in the design sector. In an Australian first, Hydrowood is salvaging commercial quantities of Tasmanian exotic species such as Celery Top Pine, Sassafras and Blackwood. These rare, salvaged species have been used to create a series of unique furniture pieces with a unique provenance and narrative.
Structure
Pieman Shelves by Simon Ancher.
Inspired by Lake Pieman’s aquatic forest landscape, Simon Ancher’s Pieman Shelves encapsulate the flat, reflective plans of water, pierced by the spear-like profiles of silvertoned tree trunks.
Ancher’s shelving system, built in Hydrowood Celery Top Pine is an abstraction of this image: the intersection of horizontal planes with vertical lines. At the very core of his design lies a sense of low-tech simplicity underscored by an intelligent joining system that allows for up to 12 shelving variations. The system is flat-packable and easy to self-assemble.
Pieman Table and Pieman Desk by Nathan Day.
“I had a moment when we were out on the lake in Tasmania, and I realised that it wasn’t just a shallow lake containing a few fallen trees. It was a body of water, over 70 metres deep, a fully submerged forest.” Designer Nathan Day used the opportunity to showcase the timber in just the right way. His Pieman Table and Pieman Desk do this through “beautiful, simple, quiet” expanses.
Both the Pieman desk and table have tapered legs and knock-down frames, which are constructed using a series of interlocking angled finger joints. The table top’s beautiful expanse accentuates the beauty of the timber finishing in an elliptical profile that rolls effortlessly over the legs. Tucked beneath, the desk has a concealed leather-lined drawer for convenient storage.
The table and desk, constructed in both Hydrowood Celery Top Pine and Blackwood, explore the texture and grain of the timber through a clever finger jointing system that allows Day to change the direction of the timber and join it back together as a solid piece. “It’s super strong but also visually eye-catching, very striking,” said Mr Day.
Pieman Chair by Tom Fereday.
“My practice is based around the concept of honest design – being true to its materials and its process. That follows through with every product I work on, whether it’s cast metal or a machined piece of wood.”
Designer Tom Fereday designed the Pieman Chair to reveal every element and property of this elegant and unique solid timber.
The Chair is slung in removable natural tanned hide leather, featuring soft and seamless integrated joins that celebrate rather than hide its construction. “This is the first range for which I’ve worked with a product from the complete raw material through to finished product, so it was all about being as respectful as possible to the timber,” said Mr Fereday.
