Flotsam/Jetsam is the name I gave to my end of year project for the Fine Furniture program that I completed in June 2012. The challenge was to design some form of seating in red alder (Alnus rubra) and/or western broadleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) that could be shipped in a box with a limited size and weight.
From a pile of 'firewood grade' maple I pulled out several figured boards that had some potential and went to work filling cracks and checks with epoxy, and hand planing to highlight the interesting grain pattern. It was important to me to salvage this lumber that would have otherwise been sent to a landfill or fireplace and put into practice my philosophy of sustainable furniture production.
The design itself evolved from my desire to create something beautiful and useful that would greet you in the hallway inside your front door or perhaps at the foot of your bed. The compound angles keep it from looking too boxy and gently invite you to sit down for a moment. Integrating storage into the bench was also part of my original intention. Living in a city where rent is expensive and tiny apartments are the norm I felt that any flat surface of this size should be able to justify it's existence by providing a secondary function.
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