Local Designers, STRUCTURE and Weyerhaeuser Team Up To Create Furniture
Parallam Furniture Will Be Presented at IDS West.
Vancouver, BC: Six new creations in Parallam engineered wood will be shown at IDS West in September. These furniture pieces are part of STRUCTURE2014, which is a BC Wood-sponsored program. STRUCTURE seeks to show off local wood, local manufacturers (this year Weyerhaeuser) and six local designers by providing the designers with donated wood and development courses, and culminating in showing their furniture pieces at IDS West. The STRUCTURE participants were also at Buildex in February, where they showed off Parallam’s strength over a span by building a 30′ long swing set, featuring seats individually designed by each participant.
One of the STRUCTURE participants is Rob Nathan of 4139Design. He is finalizing construction details on his first commercially available furniture design, which will be available in September. The coffee table utilizes Parallam, which is normally used for long, architectural spans and prized for its strength and dimensional stability. After investigating the material and loving its very distinct grain when cut at an angle or in a curve, Nathan experimented with CNC routering the wood to see how best to highlight this unusual appearance. The interesting patterns revealed by carving the Parallam are a side effect of the manufacturing of the material. The engineered wood is made of compressed, thin strands of SFI-certified BC Douglas fir. The final design for the table is comprised of a single plank of Parallam with routered swirls and waves in the top surface, under a piece of tempered glass, and powder-coated steel legs, mounted flush without hardware.
All of the STRUCTURE designers can be found on structureprogram.com.
About 4139Design: 4139Design is Rob Nathan, an award-winning industrial designer based in North Vancouver, BC. Having designed two large board room tables in the past, Nathan has wanted to branch out into furniture design for years. “STRUCTURE has been an amazing opportunity, from providing exposure and marketing advice to getting a tour of local star Brent Comber’s studio.” Known mostly for footwear design and his work at SOLE (yoursole.com), Nathan has become a freelance designer working for companies such as Chooze Shoes, Genuine Guide Gear, Innate, Muddy Munchkins, and others. In his words, “Everyday, I strive to enable my clients’ success by creating innovative, client-driven solutions to problems in all aspects of design, development and project management. I make your products more salable, so you have the freedom to concentrate on your strengths.”
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