How we work
Design ideas
All of our boxes start off with a simple line drawing, we then create rendered designs to show a digital 3D version of our products. This allows us experiment with different design ideas and come up with a variety of creative options.
Some of our designs create an optical illusion effect, where it may look as though the lid is moving or shifting and is designed to trick the mind.
We first became interested in creating illusion designs within our work after we took a visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. We saw the Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio, which consists of period woodwork from late 15th century Italy. At first glance this looks like any other room, filled with cabinets, shelves and objects. However after closer inspection, you can see that it is an illusion. The walls are actually flat and decorated with imagery made to look so real that they trick your eye.. The techniques used to create these illusions are similar to the way in which we create the marquetry designs on our lids. You can find out more information on Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio here.
From designing to making
After we have finalised our design, we then get on with the creating process. Each box / cabinet is handcrafted and can take up to 10 days to be made. Every aspect of making our products can be time-consuming however it means that every item is made and finished to a very high-standard.
We use a variety of woods to create each product, please see our ‘Types of Wood’ Page for more information on this. As all of our products are handcrafted out of natural materials, each one will vary slightly in colour and may include different grain detailing compared to the display image.
The angled joints for all the different boxes are first sawn then trimmed accurately on a spindle moulder. All the joints then get a small biscuit joint cut in them for strength.
The marquetry lid designs are cut either by hand with a knife, or on a laser cutting machine, sometimes a combination of both depending on the design and colour of veneers used.
The inside of the boxes are lined with Walnut and a felt bottom and the inside of the box lids are made from a man-made patterned veneer.Each piece is then finished with a matt lacquer which creates a long lasting hardened surface to protect each piece.
The finished product
The cabinets are also finished in a matt lacquer. The door is hung on a pair of brass hinges and has a small magnetic catch and metal receiver. The cabinets have a pair of fixings on the back to hang on to the two screws needed on the appropriate wall. The doors on the cabinets open as shown in the images i.e. the hinges are on the left hand side.
Our boxes and cabinets are finished to the highest standard and can take up to 10 days to be made before dispatch. If you have any questions about our products or the making process, please email us at mail@in-cahoots.co.uk.
