Sutherland Drinks Cabinet

oak, laburnum, glass

dimensions W 80 x D 36 x H 110 cm

One-off presented at Collect 2020.

A delightful elliptical drinks cabinet made with our signature slat and bead construction, in characterful Scottish oak with fumed oak spacers and a lift off tray in oak and laburnum. When oak is exposed to ammonia fumes the tannin reacts and makes the wood darker – this is very different to a surface stain.

The Sutherland Cabinet has a lift off tray in oak and laburnum. The laburnum was an ornamental tree in an Aberfeldy garden which was gifted to the workshop after it had to be felled. After many years of drying we have cross cut the branches into laburnum oysters. The contrasting dark heart wood has a lighter edge and sometimes used to provide an attractive surface pattern in fancy furniture of the 19th C. We have added a contemporary twist by laser cutting the oysters into a tessellated pattern, then selected, matched and patched to produce a swirling pattern on both sides of the tray. The handles are bent oak.

The cabinet door handles are turned laburnum wood. This is very attractive but also a little joke as the whole laburnum tree is poisonous if ingested.  The cabinet opens into an unexpectedly light interior with a skeletal framework, glass shelves, mirrors and lights.

To read more please read our blog post.