Page 8 August 24, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE
Natural Selection: Live-Edge Wood in Home Design
(BPT) - Live-edge hardwood, in which
the sides of the slab are left unmilled to
retain the natural profile of the tree trunk, is
an increasingly popular decorative trend in
today’s residential interiors. The technique is
not only used for pieces of standalone furniture
another niche in the live-edge hardwood
market: small urban suppliers that source
culled or fallen trees from the backyards
of private homes, public parks, graveyards
and other leafy locations in their city and
its immediate environs. One such enterprise,
RE-CO BKLYN in Brooklyn, New York,
recently harvested four 12,000-pound logs
from a 150-year-old storm-felled elm in
nearby Prospect Park. The logs were taken
to an upstate mill to be sawn into live-edge
slabs and dried before being shipped back
to Brooklyn, where they were either sold
or used by RE-CO for tables, desks, bar
counters, shelves, headboards and other
beautiful custom-made pieces it produces.
“It was George Nakashima, the legendary
Japanese-American mid-century furniture
maker, who pioneered the use of live-edge
slabs in refined residential settings,” says
New York-based designer Glenn Gissler.
“Previously, untrimmed wood planks, sometimes
with the bark still intact, were used
for rustic, log-cabin or ranch-house effects
- elements that referenced the traditions,
myths and aesthetics of the American Old
West. With his gorgeous large-scale pieces,
comprising multiple slabs of characterful
woods like walnut and cherry connected
with butterfly joints, Nakashima showed us
how unfinished natural edges and
richly figured knotted surfaces
fit perfectly into even the most
sophisticated urban interiors.”
Today, original Nakashima
pieces are highly collectible and
command high prices at auction.
But his free-edge aesthetic is
more influential than ever as
homeowners discover the ability
of live-edge furniture to work
with almost any decorative style.
Paired with blackened-steel legs,
for example, a live-edge slab of
burled walnut creates a dining
table with loft-worthy industrial
chic. New York-based designer
Laura Bohn has even used the
chain sawed cross-section of
an elm trunk - complete with
its bark - as a counter top on
which to mount a stainless steel
powder-room sink. “It introduces
a decidedly rustic note into a
thoroughly modern space,” she
says. “And yet it looks perfectly
natural, as if it had just grown
there of its own accord.”
Visit www.HardwoodInfo.com for more
about residential design trends and other
applications and products using American
hardwoods. •
Lynn O♥Neil Real Estate
(310) 261-0798
Assoc Broker 31 years/Manager
TOP PRODUCER BEACH CITY BROKERS
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such as tables and benches
but also for built-in elements like
shelving, mantles, counter tops,
bars and kitchen islands.
“Most mills cut off the rough
tree edges, turning the raw timber
into neat boards,” says Linda
Jovanovich, of the American
Hardwood Information Center
at www.HardwoodInfo.com.
“But the current demand for
live-edge slabs has led to a small
but vigorous subset of producers
who specialize in the category.”
“Some larger sawmills sell
live-edge slabs to the public,”
Jovanovich continues. “You
visit their showroom and pick
your own one-of-a-kind piece
of ash, cherry, red oak, walnut
or whatever other hardwood
species they have in stock. A
cabinetmaker can then custommake
a piece of furniture or a
built-in feature to your exact
specifications.”
Sustainability-minded entrepreneurs
are responsible for
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