innovative woodworking by courtney skott

Via swissmiss: Courtney Skott is a recent graduate of the Wood/Furniture program at the California College of the Arts, but don’t let that fool you – she draws from a diverse background that includes majors in journalism and engineering as well as work in the internet industry. Perhaps the best embodiment of Courtney is in her innovative Cloud Bed which serves as a “room within a room”. This is a bed that is layered with meaning: the curved corners are clearly contemporary, the frame is based on Chinese alcove beds from the Ming Dynasty, and the cutouts are digitized clouds from a trip to Patagonia. All the while, the bed is more functional than most, with casters that allow for easy repositioning. Image attribution: Heather and Fraying

Corrugated cardboard is not necessarily the classiest of materials to emulate, but the Map Cabinet and Corrugated Bench (both, above) are surprisingly handsome. Made from bent plywood, the wavy sheets are not only interesting but also help to give structural integrity to the overall piece (much like with real cardboard). The plywood itself is detailed with silk screened patterns; forests in the case of the Map Cabinet, and chantilly lace for the Corrugated Bench.

As a fellow Bay Area resident, I can relate to the rationale behind Courtney’s prototype Quake Shelves. Each shelf (made from Padauk wood) is bolted to the wall with a patina-finished metal bracket–not a bad feature to have in a tremor, although the shelf can slide back and forth within the bracket.The metal actually is dotted with holes that represent the locations of earthquakes in California for the previous week, guaranteeing a certain level of uniqueness for each piece.

The Un-upholstered chair is exactly that – this chair not only revels in its wooden frame, but has been routed through the Walnut veneer to expose the base plywood. A repeating floral pattern and the natural warmth of Walnut is enough to temporarily fool the eye into thinking the chair is perhaps thinly wrapped in fabric, but this chair is simply wood, through and through.

Like the Un-upholstered chair, these Tree Stools reflect Skott’s Wood/Furniture background, although more in spirit than actual composition. Save for a plywood frame, the stools are actually designed for comfort with ample foam padding. Each stool is wrapped in a jacket of wool which is meticulously pin tucked to give it the appearance of bark. As with many of Courtney’s other pieces, these stools are expensive at $3500. I do however look forward to seeing more of her work in the near future, if not for ownership, at least for inspiration.
courtneyskott.com