TANSU

TANSU - Bench

This bench is a fusion of Danish and Japanese cabinetmaking traditions. The Japanese kiri tansu tradition and Kaare Klint’s school of furniture making has some interesting similarities, and both have drawn inspiration from the other. Klint’s brass hardware was inspired by Japanese design, and the drawers in the kiri tansu cabinets were inspired by Western cabinetmaking. 

This piece was designed to be used in a hallway and has a mirror in the same style above the cabinet. The bench combines a seating surface with storage space. The padding on the bench was inspired by Klint’s furniture, and the red Niger goatskin has been embellished with traditional details, such as covered buttons and piping. The rounded edges on the drawers are a detail inspired by small tansu cabinets from Kyoto.

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INSPIRATION: KIRI TANSU / KAARE KLINT - JAPAN / DENMARK‍

Designmuseum Danmark has some rare examples of Kaare Klint’s furniture in its storage facility. Here I was given the opportunity to open the pieces and study a particular drawer construction that the cabinetmaking firm Rud. Rasmussens Snedkerier was known to use. It enables more durable slides and the use of solid bottoms. 

Historically, large tansu cabinets are an essential part of the bride’s trousseau in Japan. Kiri wood is very lightweight, has beautiful grain and is resistant to warping. Kiri tansu are always assembled without the use of nails or screws. The wood acts as a natural regulator, expanding at high air humidity to seal the drawers and contracting in dry air to ensure ventilation. Kiri wood is also fire-resistant. 

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PROCES:

The materials are all recycled wood from old discarded furniture. It is very valuable wood that is no longer available in the marketplace due to clear-cutting. It deserves to be handled with the greatest respect. Two old tabletops provided enough Cuban mahogany to make the cabinet and drawers. The legs are made of Brazilian palisander from an old coffee table. 

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EXHIBITED:

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PROCES:

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