Note design studio + karolina stenfelt: soot

‘soot’ architect’s desk by note design studio and korlina stenfelt DESIGNER’S OWN WORDS: good things come from taking risks and cabinetmaker karolina stenfelt certainly took a risk when she

gave kristoffer fagerström from note design studio free reign to design her journeyman project at carl malmsten school of furniture. the brief was to create a desk that doesn’t reveal

everything at first glance and that stands out in a discreet way. the choice of a desk was the result of the fact that a journeyman project demands certain elements of construction and

functions to be accepted for judgment by the jury. profile view with open lock kristoffer designed an architect’s ‘black box’ that combines the old analogue approach of built-in rulers,

hidden magnets, sketchpaper rolls with new needs like USB hubs and power outlets. ‘pine is fine’ is a shared motto of kristoffer and karolina and the idea of basing the desk solely on

swedish pine wood truly put the cabinet maker to the test. in addition, kristoffer wanted to use charred wood as surface finish. pine is a rather soft material and the charring was hopefully

going to give the wood a hardened surface. there is no approved technique for charring pine veneer and especially nothing proven to create and conform to the intricate intarsia pattern that

covers the desk. detail of built in rulers karolina, became tiresome with experimenting with burning veneer and just wanted work to commence. ‘when you have access to a cabinet maker like

karolina from of one of the best cabinetmaking schools there is you have to push the envelope a bit,’ kristoffer smirks. contrast was the keyword throughout the project. pine is a versatile

material and kristoffer wanted the desk to express this wood from its very best side to its very ‘worst’. the exterior is covered with the experimental burned veneer in a fishbone pattern,

and when you open the desk the inside is covered with the finest selection of golden pine in the same pattern. areas in which to store sketch paper rolls are built into the structure

kristoffer designed a tar burned steel frame to carry the ‘black box’. the tar burning of the steel covered the shiny welding forges along with the rest of the frame with a varied sooted

surface. custom made brass fittings as locks, rulers and hinges gleam against the blackened object, referring to the fire used for burning the veneer. together cabinet maker karolina

stenfelt and note design studio have investigated the possibilities of developing a limited edition series of the desk. the desk is currently exhibited at carl malmsten schools spring

exhibition in stockholm, sweden. USB hubs and power outlets drawers contrast of the burnt exterior with golden pine interior the veneer is laid out in a fish bone pattern a custom made brass

lock secures contents within the desk burning the exterior of the desk in order to harden the wood routering the edge of the desk detail of the layers of pinewood and smoked veneer ‘soot’

under construction smoking desk – experimenting with burning veneer profile view technical drawings of ‘soot’ front, profile, exploded and top views profile designboom has received this

project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication.