As a person who grew up with cheaply veneered furniture and humidity issues, I will say my first reaction is ICKYYYY. I can practically feel the stickiness. Especially with that finish.

Vile.

When will the faux mildew be introduced?

You know that saying if you have nothing nice to say then dont say it at all- wow that what a rude comment.

No..she's not really being rude...she's pointing out a fact. It does look like cheap 80's vennered furniture that's been sitting in a backyard in Houston during hurricane season. It is a good design concept and i'm sure that was the look the designers were going for.Having that in your living room might be a bit much, it would drive me crazy, I'd constantly pick at it until it broke!

While this is a semi-cool idea, in reality I envision clothing snagging and the points collecting dust.
And the whole "play nice" comments is just foolish. If we as consumers can't express opinions about items in the market, what's the point of the blog?

Sorry v. I wasn't going after anyone on this site. I just can't quite grasp the appeal of paying money for this particular aesthetic.

In the effort of bringing positive opinions to light, what is it you find attractive about this style?

Naaah, faux mildew would be more "shabby chic" than modernist. Debbie Travis probably has a paint technique for it.

I'm trying to work up enthusiasm for "exploiting the properties of the veneer as a medium in itself, rather than a substitute for solid wood" or whatever, but that cabinet still strikes me as nightmarish. And what stops the veneer from coming up further every time one uses the handles?

Josie-I guess I am selective about the comments I make on blogs. I respond to things I know and help where I can. In my case I woudn't just post a negative comment when I have never seen the item in person or actually touched and felt it or experienced it in a space. You can certianly have an opinion about something, I am all for it.
Say what you want, its true that's what blogs are for.
Maybe I do play nice, but thats my style.

I just think about the designer who probably was stoked to find that someone gave him a nice plug but then scrolled down to read a bunch of negative comments knowing that they never really saw the piece.
I know that would suck!

Designers who are that sensitive might want to re-think the whole marketplace concept. This isn't some ashtray made in crafts class for Mother's Day--it's a commercially available product, designed to be sold. If potential customers don't like the idea of peeling veneers as an aesthetic, the wise designer might pay attention. Or not, and then the designers can complain that they're just ahead of their time.

Wow! Sort of surprised at the reaction this piece is bringing out in people… I love it! Thought I could add my two cents regarding bringing “positive opinions to light”:

To me it looks less like “thin veneer pealing away” from the doors, and more like the full thickness of the door itself bending way at its corners, which is more of a feat. I also love that the unnatural bend provides the handle with which to open the hutch.

I need to picture things in their best surroundings so I can better understand the piece. In my head this stands in a large, clean –lined, mostly white room… on a cliff…with huge windows facing the sea. I think it looks sooo sexy there.

Also, I’m a big dada fan, which for me translates into a love of irony humor and questioning (also very English, no?) Does it make sense to say that I dig the comment this furniture is making to me?

Anyway, I laughed out loud reading Josie’s connection to cheaply veneered furniture and humidity issues… clearly a reason to pass this by!

-Alec

Thanks for posting this Alec. I think it's a great piece. To me also, it is less "peeling veneer" and more (appropriately named) "discovery
door", ie a "peek" through a portal of some kind, to see what's in store. And I love the idea of creating handles with the bent cabinet/drawer fronts. Any millworker would agree this is not an easy task.

I think cheap 80's plastic veneer only looked cheap because it WAS cheap. Consequently, it has probably created a distaste for anything remotely resembling it for some of the folks above and many others I've known. Perhaps people would have less of an aversion to its likeness if they realized that poor construction quality and a retro aesthetic don't have to go hand in hand. A bit ironic I think...

V - this is a blog and we are asked for our opinions. Josie gave hers. She wasn't crude or crass, she gave her opinion. Negative comments are made on AT all the time. It's not to take aim and hurt, it's an opinion we can all live with. I, for one, love to see both sides and if someone here disagrees with me, so be it.

Did anyone here go to the SAFE exhibit at MoMA? The table here reminds me of something there. The stacked compartments of the table flip down to reveal a coffin-like enclosure and the flip down parts house first-aid things. It's pretty innovative. When I first saw the table above I thought it was the table from SAFE.

Alec and Ky,

I love this, too, and was surprised by the overwhelmingly negative reactions. I think this is really clever.

I'm not sure how this looks cheaply veneered. The wood grain is beautiful and it's SUPPOSED to be flipping off the edge. I think that's what makes it unique, and not just another Danish modern knockoff with beautiful wood grain.

I grew up in a really humid place, too, and the only time I've ever seen an issue with veneer peeling is when a piece I shipped had been literally immersed in water. Of course, that also caused much worse issue than veneer peeling.

i think you are missing the point here. The fundamentals of this design is function and aesthetic. The piece is sensitive to its materials yet challenges our preconceptions of manipulation. Its sense of playful mystery actually challenges the viewer to accept the 'violation' of the design. I am not surprised that the concept is lost on those of you who are over-conditioned and over-styled. Good design neednt cost the earth. In fact good design takes what it has and makes the most out of it.

so where does one go to see this cabinet? it appears to be English.

people - it's not a thin verneer. it's the whole thickness of the door. Great design.