studio moe: reclaimed design

It’s always nice to feel good about anything you buy; it can be said that Andrew Moe’s furniture engenders good feelings twice over with not only style but environmentally sound production practices. Reclaimed lumber is the Moe Design Studio’s medium of choice, and as such no two pieces are ever alike.

Above: The Olathe series of tables is perched upon tapered, insect-like legs and can be topped with glass, wood or even stone. The top table is made from hickory, while the bottom is made from oak–both from reclaimed sources.

The Ames and Musashi are solid and imposing coffee tables with fundamentally different design approaches; Musashi is clearly more asian-inspired with a cantilevered oak top, while the Ames is minimal and modern. Musashi actually utilizes two pieces of steel to support its “roof”, whose ends are purposely exposed at the top of each leg. The Ames utilizes more traditional dovetail joinery to produce an essentially seamless transition from the sides to the top.

The zebra-like Chama is composed of several different species of wood to give it a unique striped look. The example above is made from soft maple and spruce, with a contrast not only between colors but textures (smooth vs. rough). At just over 1 1/2 feet in height, Chama is suitable as a short end table, stool, or plant stand.

Ridgeway looks a bit like it was sculpted from a single and unbroken piece of wood. In reality the white-washed finish nearly obscures the transition between the legs and the bottom of the seat. I like the overall shape of the piece – sharply tapered legs and an uneven top give Ridgeway a playful, handcrafted look with just a touch of modern.

The city of Mancos is located in the extreme southwestern corner of Colorado, and is rich with farming, timber and mining industries. The Mancos bed is somewhat of a testament to a predominantly outdoor culture with a rustic, unfinished red oak frame. I say somewhat, in that the bed is also clearly contemporary in shape, if not in texture.

The elegant Ophir desk and chair combo is made from rich ash wood with gorgeous, sweeping legwork on both pieces. This collection is my favorite, as it balances both minimalist aesthetics with just enough flair to make a statement. For more information on the Ophir and other pieces by Andrew, feel free to visit the Moe Design studio. Note: although his work is mostly made to order, some of his tables are also available at Vivavi.