This pair of tables can be arranged as a soft rectangle, or reversed into a butterfly shape–perfect for the center of a conversation area in an outdoor living room.
I just finished some new outdoor tables, collaborating with an excellent metal fabricator. They are made from Red Balau, which is probably the most durable of all woods when used outdoors.
We start by taking ‘as-built’ measurements of an existing room, and then draw a floor plan, which can also be viewed in 3d.
The next step is to try out ideas. After several rounds of meetings, we developed this scheme for architectural panelling and a set of shelves for audio-video equipment and media.
The nice thing about drawing in 3d is that the drawings give a much better idea of what the space will look like when the project is complete.
All of our projects are developed in 3d drawings. Unlike typical two-dimensional construction documents, these images give a much better sense of how the project will look upon completion. The 3d software allows for quick revisions to both dimensions and materials, simplifying the exploration of design options, prior to the selection of the one best suited to the clients particular needs.
We love to combine traditional skills with the latest technology, in order to work in a manner that is both creative and efficient.
Mostly, I just plan to show my latest work on this site, but this site, but this unique and beautiful art piece remains one of my favorite things. At the time, I was obsessed with the annular rings of trees, and the pattern in this mixes linear grain, with curly patterns. It’s almost as if the tree has been x-rayed. Insanely difficult to build. Someone who owned a lumber company told me it was almost impossible to make veneer from pine knots. Really glad I didn’t talk to him until AFTER I finished the first of these.
I design and build my furniture ideas. Sometimes this seems crazy. But it allows me to stretch in new directions, since I don’t have to engage in the struggle to communicate my design to a craftsman.
This piece is composed of intersecting curved, colored, oak veneer panels, resulting in a bit of surprise when clients of the video editing company step off the elevator. Yet the piece is also strong and highly functional. I see a bit of Disney Hall, mixed in with mid-century furnishings in the completed work. Tough to build, but once I forget all the fabrication issues, I think it is simple and functional.
A luminous ever changing color screen
30 years ago as an art student I was make environments focused on highly specific effects of light. My favorite artists continue to be those who make work focused on perception. And just last month I installed this color panel in a garden, which transitions to white with subtle shades of color, to this geometric design when struck by full sun. Two months ago I was able to see Monet’s largest water lily paintings in Paris, and now I’m thinking I need to spend some time with Diebenkorn’s “Ocean Park Series,” in order to better learn how to compose collisions of rectangles with sudden diagonals.
I love how this 10 foot wide, curved and cantilevered audio video cabinet turned out. The doors are made from fine curved louvers, that eliminate the need for ugly speaker cloth, and also provide heat venting for the amplifiers. Only problem is finding someone crazy enough to build something like this (250 pieces of curved, ash veneered wood). Thankfully, I am able to force myself to make such things.
Michael Kieley Studio Design/Build:
3d Printed Chandelier Design Sketch