Antje Stool
Idea Crafting 101
Studio project
Idea Crafting 101
The Antje Stool started with a challenge in mind. I wanted to design a stool only made of wood, without any hardware, that could be produced with traditional techniques starting from a slab of locally sourced wood. The project is designed around the Chestnut slab I've sourced personally. The design is modern yet very classic thanks to the wood veneer. The first product was made in collaboration with a local master woodworker, Kurt Pallweber.
YEAR: 2021
MATERIALS: Chestnut wood, water-based glue, oil.
BRAND: Studio project
The process
The sketch:
This stool was sketched with ergonomics and look as main focus points. I find often stools due to being "practical" objects they end up being too focused on the functionality side while compromising the look and presence of the stool in the space.
The first cuts:
This project started as a DIY but quickly became a great learning opportunity! The designs required to work with a raw slab of wood, I designed each component in the raw slab, before performing any cut, minimizing the waste of material and enhancing the esthetics.
The material:
The material was selected after speaking with some expert woodworkers. The chestnut is a wonderful plant, very common here in the alps, it provides a very light yet extremely sturdy wood. I was stunned by the wonderful veneer of the material.
Magic moment:
This was the first piece of wood coming out of the plainer, removing the oxidated few millimeters of surface, which revealed an astonishing veneer. I was totally stocked by the look, yet amazed by how strong and lightweight the parts felt!
Crafting each component:
Since we were using modern tools offered by the NOI Makerspace, we were able to machine each component down to the millimeter using a table saw mainly. Those tools are very powerful, but they demand respect as well!
Final assembly:
Manufacturing all the components took a few days. I was eager to see the stool stand on its own! The gluing process surprised me the most, due to the quick reaction time of the glue it all happened very fast thanks to Kurt's swift movements and my simple assistance.
The jointery:
My goal was to learn new techniques but also see how I could improve the design thanks to the support of a Master Woodworker like Kurt, who taught me how to craft joints that would be more solid and beautiful than the originally designed in the sketch.
The learnings:
Most of my designs are usually manufactured by companies and skilled artisans. I felt lucky to have the opportunity to take part in each step of the manufacturing, from "plant to product" sort of. Here we are serious but proud of the results! Pic @Daniele Fiorentino
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