DC Design Story #1 (and a tiny rant)
As a proud DC native and resident suffering from taxation without representation (what the real Tea Party was all about, people!), there's nothing that irritates me more than hearing pundits and politicians alike using "Washington" as a synonym for the federal government. One might be led to forget that this city with a population larger than Wyoming's has its own unique culture and people, including not just politicians but teachers, scientists, doctors, artists, writers, architects and designers. Designers? Yes, and of furniture to be exact.
How did the Washington Color School get its start? A group of great artists with shared stylistic traits working in the same city was the beginning. Can a movement like this happen in the field of furniture design, too? With the right kind of support and exposure, I think it absolutely can.
It might be happening right now. There are designers all over the metro area working in studios, garages and warehouses, each designing with a unique combination of methodology, material and inspiration. Can all this variety give birth to a DC design vernacular? How about a movement? Each design tells a story and part of that story is the place of its conception and creation. The rest of the story is the inspiration, materials and know-how that move a creation from idea to finished product. DC is brimming with these stories, unfolding daily on bevnaps and workbenches. As many of us are focusing more and more on ways we can support our local economies, this seems to me like a good time for story-telling. Who knows, maybe we'll start a movement?
Design Story: Kurt Massé's Bourbon Barrel Chairs
The entire chair is made by hand
from reclaimed bourbon barrels.
The wood is quarter-sawn oak - nothing but the best for the bourbon - and has a gorgeous grain running throughout. The charring from the inside of the barrel is left intact and used as a decorative treatment. The red stain is derived from beet powder and the finishes are water-based and non-toxic. The joinery is old-school Japanese and fully exposed.
This is a chair and a work of art. A chair at its simplistic best, yet full of mystery, representing an honest repurposing of materials and built to last. There's even a hidden drawer under the seat. Something to look at, contemplate, talk about, sit on and grow old with. As Kurt likes to say: "Put your assé on a Massé."
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