Tree of Life
Olive trees are a Mediterranean native.
They are “human like” in appearance with
graceful arms and rooted feet (we are not alone on this planet)…
Referred to as “the tree of life”, the olive tree
has earned its title over the last 4,000 years.
In climate friendly regions throught the world , the olive tree has made a come back in landscape archetecture.
Aside form its low tolerance to cold, it is one
of the most resilient trees available.
Wood in its natural form is making its mark on design today. With so much awareness on being “Green” (green, green, green, green!), designers are integrating more of these aspects into their projects. The recent hype on fast growning wood products like “bamboo” and “sugi” confirm this point.
Above are products made from sugi” wood, a fast growing cypress tree found in Japan.
George Nakashima was a well known woodworker originally from the Pacific North West. His work preserves the natural shapes and beauty of large slabs of wood while intergrating shaker elements. This combination is easily accepted into many design styles.
I love the use of exisisting materials used in their natural form. This furniture is sophisticated, comfortable (I once owned a chair of his!) and relatively affordable for high end Product.
Artist Hugo Franco goes even more rustic by using dead “pequi” trees that he finds with the help of local foragers from the fisihing village of Tran Coso in North Eastern Brazil. His work pushes the concept of using raw materials to the extreme.
These pieces are one of a kind.
