Reporting by Temenouzhka Zaharieva. Images by Hristo Kirov with exception of above image courtesy of Tenon.Last night was the opening exhibition of Groove and Tenon for Sofia Design Week 2012. This is the first solo exhibition for Konstantin Achkov, a young Bulgarian designer who graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts, Sofia with a Master's degree in sculpture. The exhibition presents some of his most new projects—a series of plywood furniture joined together using only interlocking shapes and pins—groove and tenon.
Green Frame Chair, Stack Chair and TableThe exhibited furniture includes two chairs of the Frame series and a new product series, designed especially for Sofia Design Week 2012, named Stack. It features elements resembling puzzle pieces—when assembled they turn into chairs, tables and stools. You don't need glue, nails, screws or any other fasteners—all the furniture pieces are designed to be assembled easily, by anyone—alone at home, using only the instructions. There are boards on the wall showing the way a disassembled chair is flatpacked. As the designer explains, these are old but forgotten techniques that allow the user to dismantle, repair and move the furniture, if necessary. Visitors can also see small cardboard models of the furniture.
Cardboard ModelsThe exhibition also marks the launch of Tenon—a new furniture manufacturer that will produce Achkov's designs. "Any furniture that we do is a challenge to the status quo. The way we do it is to create products with beautiful design, easy to use and user friendly."This is probably one of the very few, if any, cases of new Bulgarian design with a closed cycle of design, production and assembly in the easy-to-do DIY manner.
Groove and Tenon Konstantin Achkov Solo Exhibition Through June 15th at Alma Mater Gallery Sofia University "Sv. Kliment Ohridski" Entrance from Shipka Street
Stack Chair and Table
Stack Chair
Flatpack design
Series
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Sofia Design Week 2012: Konstantin Achkov's Groove and Tenon, Flatpack Plywood Furniture
Also I'd like to know how to stain plywood like that last stack chair photo, or could that be plywood made of veneer other than pine?