Burr oak was used for the exterior of this cabinet, machined to give it an organic texture, revealing the inherent tension in the wood. In sharp contrast, the interior structure and shelves in smooth, light holly form a space of refinement and serenity.
Height 103 cm
Length 42.5 cm
Width 27 cm
© Roland Paschhoff
© Alf Harvey
© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved
Alan Meredith
- Woodworker
- Mountmellick, Ireland
- Master Artisan
- Recommended by Design & Crafts Council Ireland
© Roland Paschhoff
In harmony with wood
- • Alan started working with wood aged eight
- • He is largely self-taught
- • He features in the Irish Portfolio: Critical Selection 2019-20
Alan began woodworking from a young age, and was encouraged by teachers at school in Ireland to pursue his passion. Despite knowing he wanted to make furniture, he took the brave decision to study architecture at university, feeling it would give him a broader understanding of the field. “I still wanted to make furniture but I wanted to make good furniture. I wanted to know where furniture sat within design, globally,” he says. The experience gave him more confidence in the direction he wanted to take his woodturning, as well as a contacts book stuffed full of industry figures. On graduating, he set up his own studio to produce three strands of work: woodturned vessels, furniture and large outdoor installations, all linked through a common approach to the material.
Read the full interviewWorks
Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
Curio cabinet
Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
Vinculum shelf
To craft this shelf, a single piece of fumed Irish oak was steamed then carved and persuaded into an elegant curving shape. It is at once simple yet complex, like a line sketched on the wall, the rich material revealing a diversity of structure, colour and texture, expressing the potential of steam-bent wood.
Height 36 cm
Length 180 cm
Width 21 cm
Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
Vinculum console
For this elegant console, two pieces of solid Irish oak were steamed then shaped by hand. The wood was first fumed (or smoked), which darkens it and brings out the pattern of the grain. While the piece has simple lines, it is complex in structure, colour and texture.
Height 185 cm
Length 44 cm
Width 83 cm
Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
Oak armchair – Walnut edition
Alan’s original design known as “The Oak Chair” has been modified in the studio over many years, its shape continuously being refined. In this version, carved in walnut, the components are meticulously hand-carved and jointed together to merge seamlessly into one another.
Height 58 cm
Length 47 cm
Width 75 cm
Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
Diptych
The cylindrical shape of these vessels was formed by the circular motion of the wood-turning lathe. The piece was then steamed to make the wood pliable and distorted by hand. As the wood dried, it settled into its final shape naturally thanks to its inherent tension.
Height 38 cm
Diameter 17 cm
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