The Beauty of Handmade Handles
No rational human being would make their own handles for a piece of furniture. There are literally thousands of handles on the market, all of which do a perfectly adequate job of functioning as a handle. After all, handle duties are not that complex! But the thing about handles is that they are a very tactile element in any piece of furniture. As a result, it is a bit of an obsession amongst cabinetmakers to design and make an elegant handle for any piece of furniture that needs one. The handle must not only open whatever it is attached to (really quite important), but also be an integral part of the overall design. It must also be a joy to use.
It’s all in the details
If you have every wondered why bespoke furniture comes with a high price tag, it is the small details that always take a disproportionate amount of time to perfect. Handmade handles are just one of those details.
The handle in the above photo is one we created for a Bark piece a number of years ago. It corresponds with the ideals taught to us at Rowden, where design and function work in harmony. This handle took three hours to make. The piece of furniture it is on has eight of them! Ridiculous when you think about it, but at the same time we felt the piece just would not have been right any other way.
Until next time,
Lakshmi
