Jewellery box design by John Wardle
Photographed by Pier Carthew
Originally designed as an anniversary gift to Susan Wardle in 2008, this design like many of the buildings produced by John Wardle Architects at the time, explores a fascination with extrusion. The shaped handles sit flush within the outer casing and its symmetry is disrupted by a cut and a circular hole on either side. The jewellery box is designed to be stored else where and placed onto the stand when in use. The leg's slenderness is an ode to Gio Ponti's Superleggra chair design. Rather than the shifting radius of the legs of that remarkable chair, two misaligned cuts form a rectangular block to give the appearance of rotation as the increasing tapers of the legs reach for the floor.
The original design, made in 2008, was crafted by Scotty Mason who at the time was working for McKay Joinery.
This most recent remaking of the jewellery box, by Vivienne Wong, was shown at the Heide Museum of Modern Art as part of Melbourne Designs Week 2022, in Relatively Useful.
Timber
Preserved deep underwater in Tasmania's wilderness, from the depths of Lake Pieman, this rare Australian timber has been resurrected carefully and dried to take on a second life. This finely crafted jewellery box, made from Celery Top pine, uses the most stable and straight grained timber to highlight the extraordinary lines in the design.
In this model each drawer is lined with a soft cushion overlaid by a delicate Japanese silk print. The colourful drops of yellow pillows make for a playful and interchangeable arrangement. Made from recycled kimono belts.
Dimensions: 860 x 310 x 600
Jewellery box - made with Celery Top pine from Hydrowood
Design by John Wardle Photographed by Pier Carthew
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