CUSTOM PLYWOOD FURNITURE AND CABINETS
Kerf Design is a custom furniture and cabinet shop based in Seattle, Washington. Our work implements a unique system of joinery and an aesthetic that has grown from our love of plywood and plastic laminate. We work one-on-one with you to design specific solutions for your residential or commercial spaces.
“If it is not useful or necessary, free yourself from imagining that you need to make it.”
“If it is useful and necessary, free yourself from imagining that you need to enhance it by adding what is not an integral part of its usefulness or necessity.”
“And finally: If it is both useful and necessary and you can recognize and eliminate what is not essential, then go ahead and make it as beautifully as you can.”
From the book Shaker Built: The Form and Function of Shaker Architecture by Paul Rocheleau, June Sprigg, and David Larkin.
FORM FOLLOWS MATERIALS + CONSTRUCTION + FUNCTION
Our aesthetic is derived from an ongoing exploration of construction using two simple materials, plywood and plastic laminate. The design of each custom project comes from a seamless integration of three essential components: the necessary function of the item, the method of its construction, and an unadorned presentation of the materials from which it is made. Although the end result may appear complex, we try to achieve our goals in a simple and straightforward manner.
The intentional restraint from decoration in our work forces the smallest details to the forefront. Each joint becomes a decorative element in it’s own right. The choice of the placement of a hand notch contributes to the character of the piece. The patterns in each unit are carefully laid out to to be useful, well built and pleasing to look at. Our typically asymmetric look is a perfect example of this: To make our cases stronger it is better to stagger the joints within them than to line them up with each other.
