About The Project
The design of this bedroom set is inspired by designer Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879-1933), a titan of the Art Deco movement. Ruhlmann blended Neoclassical restraint with modern sensibilities, featuring slender legs, subtle curves, and a focus on perfect proportions over heavy ornamentation.
The bedroom set is made of lacewood with turned maple legs and door pulls. Lacewood, which is native to South America, Australia, and parts of Asia, is known for its distinctive "lace-like" or "speckled" appearance caused by large medullary rays. These are radial, ribbon-like structures of cells extending from the pith to the bark. They transport water and nutrients horizontally and store energy. When quartersawn, lacewood displays a mesmerizing, shimmering figure that resembles leopard print or fine mesh.
The bedroom set consists of a queen sized bed, dresser, armoire and two nightstands. All pieces feature three concave front panels with scalloped bottoms. The pieces are supported by narrow turned legs. The drawer and door pulls are in the same form of the legs.
The bed rails support cross slates, on which the mattress rests. The rails are meant to be seen, which is accomplished by tucking in the bedcovers alongside the mattress.
The bed has a distinctly non Art Deco detail; copper vines climb two of the four bedposts. This was made by cutting copper sheet stock into leaf shapes. The leaf texture, curl, and veins were made by hammering. The leaves were then brazed to a thick copper wire. Once assembled, the completed vines were patinated to achieve the mottled bronze-green color. I tried using various commercial patina chemicals, but none gave me the look I was after. What worked best in the end was urine and wet cat litter. This of course was thoroughly washed off before putting the vines to use.
