The Garden Shelf

I designed a wooden shelf called “The Garden Shelf” in 10 weeks for my DSGN_395: Furniture Making class. The yellow birch wood came from a tree that was cut down in my grandparents’ yard, behind their log cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My goal was to sustainably repurpose the wood and to craft furniture that could be used within the log cabin itself. My grandmother requested an attractive and functional storage system for her gardening gear and equipment. After brainstorming together to identify many of her different needs, I constructed this solid piece of furniture using only naturally occurring materials, so I used no nails or glue.

Prototyping: The biggest challenge for me was figuring out a way to attach the horizontal pieces to the vertical pieces. Without the use of nails or screws, all of the wooden pieces had to be held together with friction/gravity/pressure.

Construction: I built most of my shelf in my grandpa’s workshop in Michigan using a planer, joiner, bandsaw, hand router, and sandpaper. I then was able to sand and finish each piece in Evanston and assemble my shelf before the final showcase.

Presenting: I presented my shelf at the showcase that my class held and it was a hit! Gordon and Carole Segal (Founders of Crate & Barrel) loved my shelf and even helped me get an internship at a local furniture design studio.