Cabinet Making DNA: Story Telling through Innovative Design

It’s not unusual for designers to get some idea of the background and make up of their clients, however, on a recent project, Groth & Sons had an extremely close look – they went as far as to explore their clients DNA…. well not literally, there are limits to a small design practise. It started with an image hanging on their client’s wall and a penchant to explore some design possibilities. The image was a blown up shot of their DNA.

Given the design background of Amos Groth, principal designer at Groth & Sons, concept is a strong element in his consultation process and the image he saw immediately engaged his curiosity. Rather than build a series of open shelving the design took a very different approach. If DNA is the chief component of chromosomes – the carrier of genetic data ,giving the fundamental and distinguishing qualities and characteristics of a person , then why can’t that be interpreted into a piece of joinery? His quest was to produce a narrative that would support a very practical piece of custom made joinery but at the same time would be a little bit different and possibly, somewhat brave: To tell a story.

The story began with a strong, client and designer collaboration. The resulting project tells that story, a continuous fixed shelf covering two walls of the room and extending to thirty four meters in length, not so much shelving and cabinetry, more an Art installation. It is a unified scheme, providing the observer with a sense of underlying order yet creating a stimulating design outcome that is neither predictable nor boring. The shelving generates an unexpected pattern which expedites the movement of the viewer’s eye from one part of the project to another, established through continuous line movement, repetition in form, texture, colour, light and dark patterns and spatial intervals. Rhythm and movement is also evident in the different depths of the structure, custom made cabinet making appears as extruded timber blocks set at varying projections giving a very strong three-dimensional characteristic to the form. The cabinet doors are bespoke artworks showing abstract interpretations of DNA and the artist rather cleverly incorporated personal emblems embedded into the design, such as flags from their places of origin and a few valued symbols. Primary colours where used in the doors for the audio-visual cabinet and a toy storage drawer along with the bright blue of the continuous shelving which travels throughout the space. The Red, Blue and Yellow, was also driven by the initial concept, the painters colour wheel providing the building blocks from which the palettes to the bespoke artworks were derived.

The final installation is a blaze of colour and texture, is harmonious and original, interesting yet extremely practical. It is a strong reflection on the results that can be achieved through a robust and collaborative design process.

The owners complete the story with their finishing touches, some treasured books and personal photos and even the addition of indoor plants, bringing the whole creation to life…….a living breathing entity.

The End