My cabinet work and information signs.
Jenni Burdon, from Parks and Wildlife, approached me last year about refurnishing the commissariat store at Maria Island. This place functions as a visitors centre/ shelter for tourists visiting to the island.
We quickly agreed on using recycled timbers where possible and making single pieces of solid timber furniture for display, information boards, merchandise, visitors book etc. We did not want to take attention away from the existing building. We also wanted to keep the furniture flexible so it can be moved around and adapted to future uses.
We sourced the old chairs to match the rustic atmosphere of the information centre.
We decided to integrate old chairs into the building. We tried to find pieces that looked as if they could have been made on the island. It was great finding and fixing them.
We visited the Island several times, came up with a proposal, showed it to the rangers and other staff. Jenny did all the planning, displays, worked out the light, logistics etc.
The room is very dark and damp. One of the challenges was were not allowed to fix into walls or floors.
Everything had to be transported by boat. To install we (Jenni, my apprentice Luke and I) moved for a week to the island. Thanks to Jenni we managed to take everything over in two loads.
The rangers on the island where extremely helpful to accommodate us and help with the transport.
The installation went fine, everybody was happy with the outcome, the building ended up less cluttered and looking more ‘original’ than with the old displays.
As another stage we made outdoor benches for the penitentiary. These where designed by Peter Ragozzi, another amazing Parks member. I built them in the workshop using recycled timbers and new Tasmanian oak. This was a very complex and challenging job, involving big unorthodox (so hard to find) sized timbers, lots of joining and machining. It was fun taking them over and installing them!
Some of my benches on the verandah at Maria Island.
For more images of Maria Island CLICK HERE.
Cabinetmaker specialising in kitchens, bathrooms and anything made from timber.
Bernd Farasin 