My Client approached me to solve a problem they’ve been having for years. They have a large collection of art pieces they’ve collected on their travels but nowhere to show it off. The living room would be an ideal place for the shelf but there wasn’t a place that looked natural. They also didn’t want anything standard or ‘off the shelf’. The shelves should be something sculptural and visually pleasing by itself and would compliment the pieces shown.
The first problem we had to face was where to put the shelves. After some back and forth and several version and full scale models of the initial design, we came up with the perfect place for it. The only thing was that it was in a corner that made a 136 degree angle. To add to the difficulty of working with those angles, I designed the shelves into curved shelves, and to add to even that, the shelves are all different sizes, getting smaller the higher up the shelves went. Oh, and did I mention that the center support pole is angled?
Our concept of the design started as curved shelves with a single pole that supports the shelves. To me, the design has a feel of a Japanese paper umbrella mixed with Japanese folding fans. There is an open space behind the shelves where the pole connects to the shelf which lighten up the structure and make it where it doesn’t look like a ‘built in’ furniture, but more like a free standing furniture that’s just leaning against the wall.
of course, everything is anchored to the wall and floor so it’s super sturdy. The pole has limbs that come out that help support the bulk of the weight on the shelves. The limbs are joined to the center support pole using double mortise and tenon so there’s no worry about the shelves containing the priceless art work (and the memories attached to them) to ever come off and break. To keep the pieces from potentially sliding off, I also included a tiny lip around the perimeter of the shelf so it contains everything in.
The whole thing is made out of cherry with stain and finish to match the credenza I made for this client earlier this year.