OMBRE

A simple mitred bench with deep bevelled edges and carved graded texture and scorched ombré colouring

Dimensions: W 1020 mm x D 380mm x H 420mm 

Ombré \ adjective \ ˈɒm.brei

Having different shades of colour, gradually going from light to dark

Ombré is a carved textured one or two person bench made from rippled English sycamore wood. Its simple form, with straightforward up-and-over mitred joinery and deep cut edge bevels, gives an understated and uncluttered outline. This plain form provides a suitable background for the surface detailing - the product of a wide range of techniques and finishing processes.

Both the carved texture on the external faces and the colouring of the wood graduates from out to in. The result is a seat area which is smooth, pale and texture free, gradually transitioning into subtle orange peel dimples, then through larger depressions to the deep chip-carved texture of the bench ends. Travelling in the other direction, where bench meets ground the timber is scorched dark then blended with natural walnut shell dye through caramel tones, picking out the variations in the natural ripple of the wood, to the natural creamy-whiteness of the sycamore - here carefully enhanced via bleaching techniques and overlapped and blended white oil and wax finishes.

Adopting a hybrid craft approach to the making of the piece, the carved texture is cut using a hand-held rotary tool, enabling an efficiency of production that is hard to match with traditional handtool techniques. However, the all-important human judgment in the arrangement of the dimples - their packing and placement - governs the overall look and feel of the pattern. Even when employing powered tools, the process is nevertheless a slow, repetitive, mindful one, a continual balance between order and disorder, between geometric precision and randomness.