REPURPOSED COLLECTION
Our repurposed collection is crafted from found wood that comes down in storms or washes up on the river banks and beaches at Reserva Ecologica Panamaes. With an endless turnover of driftwood on the 4km of coastline at the reserve, we have a lot to draw from, but the magic is that as soon as the tide goes out, so does our supply. Time is of the essence and this collection is one of chance and serendipity - we've discovered massive specimens of native protected species that grow in our own forests - like Panama Tree (Sterculia Apetala) and Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra). We always ensure there is no wildlife calling these trees home before we decide to collect them. After using a backhoe and a crew of 10-15 people to get these huge sprawling pieces of wood to our shop, we spend weeks turning, washing and researching to understand the history and form of what we're working with, and aim to make as few cuts as possible to preserve the inherent design of these one-of-a-kind wood species.
PANAMA TREE TRUNK DINING TABLE
Panama tree (Sterculia Apetala) driftwood, found serendepitously on Panamaes beach. The Panama tree is the national tree of Panama and is a protected species - cutting it is prohibited. These majestic trees grow along the banks of the Panamaes river at Reserva Panamaes and sustain a large variety of wildlife - we have many on the Reserve but this is the first to come to us by windfall. The large buttressed base is favored place for large felines to hide, and is now the base of ths table, with the trunk as the tabletop.
CIRCLE OF LIFE: RARE HARDWOODS
Many of the fine tropical hardwoods at Reserva Ecologica Panamaes are threatened and protected native species, which means we will never cut them down. Nevertheless, the circle of life of a forest ecosystem provides us with naturally fallen trees that come down in a storm. Sometimes we only have the time between two tides to recover these massive species, a task that often requires our whole crew.
DRIFTWOOD COFFEE TABLE #1
Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra) driftwood and teak oil finish. The Ceiba tree, with its massive horizontal canopy, buttressed roots that eclipse the average human in height, and large seed pods exploding with cottony fiber, is one of the grandest species in the dry tropical forest. We were excited to find this large trunk as driftwood, and created twin coffee tables by making one cut through the center of the trunk. We only minimally refined this impressive specimen to highlight its natural grandeur and variance.
DRIFTWOOD CONSOLE TABLE #1
Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra) driftwood and teak oil finish. The Ceiba tree, with its massive horizontal canopy, buttressed roots that eclipse the average human in height, and large seed pods exploding with cottony fiber, is one of the grandest species in the dry tropical forest.
TEAK ROOT SIDE TABLE
The star shaped cross section of a teak (tectona grandis) root interposed into a cube form makes for a side table that is both organic and modern. The natural golden red-brown hue of the root wood has been used for centuries as a dye - a natural teak oil finish brings out the brilliant tones of this wood.
MADE IN PANAMA
The Repurposed Collection is crafted by hand at our shop in Pedasi, Panama, by a team of local ebanistas (carpenters). The Panamanian woodworkers on our team have grown up with the native species in our Repurposed Collection - they have seen them gargantuan in their native primary forest ecosystems, deforested, milled, and shipped away, cleared for pasture - and now, reforested at Reserva Ecologica Panamaes. Our team has an appreciation for these species that transcends lifetimes and generations, and their knowledge is inherant to sculpting these found species into furniture that honors the native character of the rare hardwoods they are formed from.
COMMISSION STUDIO TLALLI FOR YOUR SPACE
We are currently working on a private commission basis and all our pieces are made to order at our shop in Panama.
Contact us for more information: TLALLI@IM-KM.COM