Description:

The design intention of the Weave credenza was to tell a unique Aotearoa New Zealand story by creating an opportunity to play with texture, materials and celebrate the traditional skills of Māori raranga weaving, cabinet making and metal work.

The hero design feature is the woven harakeke panels created by Māori raranga artist Bronwynn Billens, Ngati Tama, Te Atiawa, Te Arawa. This design is representative of the importance of building whanaungatanga/relationships by weaving together three different crafts and two cultures into one seamlessly designed cabinet. Consideration in the design was given to how to use the three materials (wood, harakeke flax, and metal) in an innovative way – working together but not overpowering each element.

Inspired by how triptych art told a story, the credenza was designed as a three-door cabinet to display the woven panels as an art form. The credenza form took design cues from the Art Deco period when furniture was known for the inherent design qualities of relative simplicity, symmetry and unvaried repetition of elements and use of colour. The softness and round ends of the cabinet embrace the woven door panels like a korowai (cloak). The colour of the woven panels and metal details being painted gold, bring a luxurious feeling to the overall design.

Pattern was used in three places within the credenza – the obvious use of pattern through the woven panels themselves, and in the precise placement of the repeating wooden slats. The knurling on the custom door handles is a discrete nod to the diagonal weaved pattern on the harakeke panels.

Each panel is hand-woven using harakeke/flax from the same plant, carefully dried before being weaved. Although the pattern is the same, each panel is unique by nature of it being hand-woven. The weave pattern chosen for this credenza is called whakatutu – meaning to construct, build up and stand strong.

The subtle but deliberate craftsmanship features include negative detailing, curved ends and timber slats that carry on around the entire cabinet including the back. These handcrafted details highlight the precision required to bring the design to reality.

The result is a contemporary credenza that celebrates Aotearoa New Zealand design. Handmade in Ōtautahi Christchurch, utilising similar techniques as the design director’s great-great grandfather Robert Norrie used when crafting some of New Zealand’s finest examples of furniture made 100 years ago.