1 Ikebana tables and benches by Brent Comber
Brent Comber is best known for his spherical sculptures, carved from British Columbia’s wealth of timber. His latest pieces, the Ikebana tables and benches, were inspired by the Japanese art of flower arranging. Sculpted from Douglas fir and finished in white hard-wax oil, they represent Shin (heaven), Soe (earth) and Hikae (human), which the Canadian designer has masterfully reimagined into furniture.
2 Slip bench by Matthias Pliessnig
Philadelphia furniture designer Matthias Pliessnig, acclaimed for his use of steam-bent wood, has his work on display in the Smithsonian museum. Shaping slender strips of white oak around moulds fabricated with 3‑D software, he combines traditional boat building methods with cutting-edge technology. The sinuous pieces are strong enough for seating, as in this mid-size Slip bench.
3 Basket & Centrepiece Collections by Tête De Bois
These pieces, by Venetian designer Andrea Deppieri of Newton & Son, use stratified veneers of sustainably harvested dark mahogany or lighter Tanganyika wood. Layered to the thickness of a Popsicle stick and spaced by wooden washers hand threaded around an iron wire frame, the flexible forms employ the same technique as Deppieri’s wooden headgear.