Furniture Therapy
Not only is this cabinet a beautiful piece of furniture, but what lies behind is an interesting concept. Swedish designer Jenny Ekdahl decided to create a piece of furniture which would aid recovery for people effected by natural disasters. Her product is very much 'please do touch' creating a tactile and interactive piece to help to reconcile the person with nature.
Jenny says "The moveable structure is meant to give an outlet through which the user can express his emotions and personality and on which he can leave his own individual imprint. The patterns are based on water and waves, creating a tactile and rhythmic interaction with ever-changing images and underlying meanings."
The cabinet is called Dear Disaster and is made from 4000 pieces of beech wood. One side of each wooden scale is painted blue, white or grey, while the other side has been left plain, so that they can be flipped to create patterns based on water and waves.
Jenny had recently graduated from Lund Univerisity in Sweden. She says "a natural disaster is an event that we associate with destruction, distress and sadness. But a natural disaster is also a phenomenon that fascinates, that is beautiful and at the same time terrifying. This contradicting love-hate relationship with nature was the starting point for my thesis work."
I must say I am fascinated. When I go to the sea there is this awesome respect I have for it's power, beauty - yes, but a healthy fear too. This weekend some friends and I went to Bedruthan Steps on the North coast of Cornwall. It is a majestic beach completely unspoilt, but the waves are so commanding it really does make you think.
Jenny's cabinet is a lovely piece of furniture that I would proudly have in my home, and I imagine the flicking of these disks is very cathartic. Using your hands can be really relaxing - as users of bubble wrap will know. Her intentions behind this piece is what elevates the cabinet to a higher status. I would like to think that something this beautiful could have a restoring effect on people whose lives that have been so devastated.
I came across this story first at Design Vagabond.
The cabinet is called Dear Disaster and is made from 4000 pieces of beech wood. One side of each wooden scale is painted blue, white or grey, while the other side has been left plain, so that they can be flipped to create patterns based on water and waves.
Jenny had recently graduated from Lund Univerisity in Sweden. She says "a natural disaster is an event that we associate with destruction, distress and sadness. But a natural disaster is also a phenomenon that fascinates, that is beautiful and at the same time terrifying. This contradicting love-hate relationship with nature was the starting point for my thesis work."
I must say I am fascinated. When I go to the sea there is this awesome respect I have for it's power, beauty - yes, but a healthy fear too. This weekend some friends and I went to Bedruthan Steps on the North coast of Cornwall. It is a majestic beach completely unspoilt, but the waves are so commanding it really does make you think.
Jenny's cabinet is a lovely piece of furniture that I would proudly have in my home, and I imagine the flicking of these disks is very cathartic. Using your hands can be really relaxing - as users of bubble wrap will know. Her intentions behind this piece is what elevates the cabinet to a higher status. I would like to think that something this beautiful could have a restoring effect on people whose lives that have been so devastated.
I came across this story first at Design Vagabond.
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