Grassworks by Jair Straschnow

Israeli-born Straschnow’s designs are known for a simplicity that belies the work involved to reach such a level of edited consideration. True to his beliefs, the pieces work together both in their structure and aesthetics. All the prototype pieces, tables, chairs and even a seesaw, were self-produced by Straschnow in his studio in Amsterdam, where he settled after his post-graduate studies at the Applied Arts Department of the Sandberg Institute.

Bamboo was chosen for its obvious sustainable qualities. "It’s mainly because it is a truly green material", Straschnow says. "Sustainability is a massive issue, but it also has become an empty marketing title pasted onto every other thing. Working with bamboo and making sure that the plywood I used was made using a water-based EU approved glue, was a safe starting point." Bamboo is the fastest growing plant (grass) on earth and can be repeatedly harvested from the same stalk. The bamboo came from Dutch-based Bambusa.

The self-assembly pieces rely on traditional interlocking woodworking techniques and in particular on this occasion, a reworking of the dovetail joint. Dovetailing entails the slotting together of pieces of wood with opposed sloped angles, creating stability by being wedged together. Here the dovetail is used as a key structural principle. "Because I wanted to stick to one material and avoid as much as possible additional gluing and the use of screws or fittings, this led to traditional joinery and dry (no glue) connections - mainly different variations of the dovetail joint," Straschnow explains.

Large-scale versions of Straschnow’s technical drawings show how the pieces fit together and also how they can be stored. For the designer, minimizing the space needed for storing the pieces is key. "Considering 'space' as a resource, the intention behind this collection is to try and use it wisely - multi purpose objects that fold, collapse and flat pack."