Summary

Grandpa’s Desk was commissioned by a client who was in possession of 2 wardrobes that were built decades ago by her grandfather and who did not have the space for the wardrobes, but wanted to keep them because of their sentimental value. I was asked to design an office desk, which utilized the timber from the wardrobes. Even old screws, nails and fittings were kept and incorporated into the design, both as a reminder of the original wardrobes and also as a source of memories of the client’s grandfather every time a drawer is opened.

Project Commissioner

Project Creator

Martin Davis Furniture Design

Team

Martin Davis was born in Melbourne in 1965. His design ethos is shaped largely by his childhood experiences, educational background (tertiary qualifications in design and post graduate qualifications in multimedia), and his extensive overseas travels. While the major Western design movements from Post-War to Post-Modern were an obvious influence, as they were on all western design students, Davis was also influenced by the subtlety and cultural depth of the contrasting design cultures that he experienced during his travels. This mixture of influences has no doubt led to Davis working within such disparate fields as landscape architecture, art and more recently furniture design.

Davis began his design career by studying Landscape Architecture at RMIT, graduating in 1987 (AILA student award). He immediately established a successful landscape architectural practice of which he remained a director for 13 years. During this time he designed over 500 residential, industrial, commercial and institutional projects.

In 2001 he decided to pursue his interest in furniture design as a career change and immediately proceeded to self educate in all areas of furniture design and construction and steer his career in a new direction. He established Martin Davis Furniture Design in 2003 and began making one-off commission pieces for private and business clients.

Davis’ design work has been exhibited in a range of contexts during his career, including galleries, institutions and outdoor spaces. His furniture may be found in collections in Australia, the USA and Japan. His workshop is located in Waratah Bay, Victoria, Australia.

Inspiration/Method

In making successful contemporary furniture, I believe that one must address craft and design with an equal level of respect and skill. My furniture is handmade and built to last for generations, displaying traditional joinery techniques in contemporary ways. It is intended to evoke a response in the viewer, to tell a story. Grandpa’s Desk is a contemporary piece whose aesthetic is determined primarily by the materials salvaged from the wardrobes. The desk top (reclaimed Jarrah) and drawer fronts (local Blackwood) are the only additional materials used and were chosen to be relatively neutral so as not to detract from the wardrobe timbers. Whilst dismantling the wardrobes all screws, nails and fittings were kept. These were cast into resin blocks and used for drawer handles. The intention here was to reference the original wardrobes and also provide the client with a subtle link to the memory of her grandfather.

Design Challenge

The main challenge this project presented was using materials from existing objects that were already of a particular size and quantity and incorporating them into the design of a completely new object which had its own set of specific dimensions and functions. Prior to designing the desk, I dismantled the wardrobes to determine what materials I would have at my disposal. The design process involved incorporating the required dimensions, number of drawers and layout requirements of the client with the challenge of piecing together random amounts and sizes of timber, whilst ensuring that they would be suitable for their intended purpose.