The Knit side table/storage cabinet, displayed by Dominik von Bohlen at the New Designers exhibition this summer, marries black American walnut with birdseye maple veneers to great effect …
“Knit is designed to be used both as a side table and a raised storage cabinet for knitting paraphernalia. The legs and lippings are made from solid black American walnut, while the lid and side panels of the cabinet are veneered with birdseye maple,” says Dominik, who, following a career change in his early 30s, attended the Building Crafts College in Stratford, East London, where he completed a City & Guilds Fine Woodworking diploma this summer.
Dominik also recently completed a Construction Industry Training Board Level 2 certificate in Bench Joinery, a City & Guilds Level 2 certificate in Wood Machining and a turning certificate accredited by the Worshipful Company of Turners.
“I made Knit specifically for my wife, a keen knitter who likes to work while sat on the sofa in our living room," he adds. "At the end of the day she often struggled to find a suitable place to store her needles and wool. Drawing inspiration from elegant Shaker sewing tables as well as more mundane examples of old-fashioned school desks with hinged lids, I have attempted to design a piece of furniture which is both decorative and functional.
“Under the lid there is a removable walnut tray which slides forwards and backwards on walnut ledges housed into the side panels. Under the tray there is partitioned storage space for bundles of wool and work in progress. The dimensions of the table were carefully considered in order to provide a useful table surface as well as to have the capacity to store a substantial amount of knitting equipment in an intuitive way.
“For me, the most important quality in any piece of furniture is its honesty of design,” he concludes.
