Canadian studio Odami gave a new life to a dying 130-year-old red oak tree in the form of beautiful furniture and lighting. Read SURFACES REPORTER (SR) this post to know what incites Patrick Murphy- the owner of One Wood- a woodworking company to create several stunning pieces of furniture using this one dying tree. 

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When Patrick Murphy saw that a 130-year old tree was slowly dying in front of its parent's property in Ontario, he knew that it couldn't go to waste. Hence, he associated with Canadian design studio Odami to lease a new life to this tree by creating beautiful furniture pieces out of it.

Trunk of a Dying Tree Used to Construct Three Furniture Pieces

Named "Case Study 01: On Mass", the collection comprises an armchair, table and lamp all constructed from the trunk and limbs of an old red oak tree. The designs explore the concept of mass. Odami explains, "As simple compositions of heavy masses, each piece is an expression of this strength and power. With timeless simplicity, each piece is a humble celebration of material richness and craft and a study of the cosiness of mass."

One of the tree's limbs had already fallen off and rotted, but Murphy and Odami managed to preserve the main trunk to design the pieces. They cut down the retrievable parts, dried them and turned them into new shapes. 

Prism-like Lamp

It took almost eight months to fabricate the furniture pieces. The rectangular lamp looks like a prism with the light shining through its opening. Armchair has rounded arms with a curved seat and straight-edged back. And there is also formed a low table with large chunky legs and a hidden middle compartment. 

The Low Table with Chunky Legs and Flat Surface

Visible Signs of Stretching, Warping and Cracking Process

All the furniture pieces contain visible signs of the stretching, warping and cracking process. One can notice the black markings on the chair's front seat, indicating the areas where the wood is cracked and stretched from being transformed into the bowed shape.

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Black Markings on the Bowed Seat

"These pieces don't simply make use of its material," added the studio. "But attempt to harness this vitality and embody the stability and weight of its lost presence."

The low-lying table has chunky legs and a flat surface extends beyond the two legs to create the tabletop. In this center of the table top is a small lid that lifts off the top to show the hidden storage built into the table.

Founded in 2017 in Toronto by Spanish architect Aránzazu González Bernardo and Canadian designer Michael Norman Fohring, Odami is an architectural, interior, and furniture design firm.  

Photo Courtesy: Kurtis Chen

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