Resurrected wood
Are you looking to capture the magic and mystery of Africa? How about an exquisite piece of furniture, something that will be the focal piece in your house? Well, look no further because Wooden Uniques can bring the allure of Africa into your home with pieces of environmentally friendly reclaimed wood from the southern African natural forests and savannas.
Our one-of-a kind line of wooden tables, statues, and bowls are unequalled in their beauty and functionality. There are no two identical products and each item has a carved design that was inspired by the natural shape, grain, and structure of the piece of wood it was carved from.
Our products are made by African craftsmen who also grew up in the same area where these wood blocks and slabs were found. These gifted artisans understand the enchanted qualities of the wood and they bring new life to the wood while maintaining its spirit. Unlike the common industrial processing of wood, these unique wooden pieces are absolutely beautiful and are the epitome of perfection.
It could be a dry tree
It all starts in Africa's natural forests or tree savannahs, where we look for a dry tree or part of a dry tree suitable for processing. We then apply for official permission to process this particular tree, a unique piece of wood
If a standing dry tree can be found, this is an excellent opportunity for subsequent processing.
However, there are few trees of suitable dimensions. For the purpose of processing and manufacturing our furniture, the most suitable wood is the lying wood, which is often coloured by natural processes to an unprecedented beauty.
This Matumi tree trunk looks like it is already being reclaimed by nature but this is not the case because of the wood’s hardness and its resistance to rot. Instead, there is a seasoning or maturing of the wood that is unique to the specific specimen of wood and the environs in which it was found. The trunk might have be lying in the open for decades and what the obscured interior looks like inside a partially hollow block of wood is often a surprise that only native craftsmen with their experience can guess.
Sometimes the piece of wood was “forgotten” in the bush.
This Matumi wood was left behind by lumbermen many years ago probably because it was too difficult to transport out of the jungle even with the use of heavy machinery. The craftsmen who work with Wooden Uniques coexist with the natural world and understand their role in maintaining sustainable practices. They are connected to the land which sustains their families and they have an inherent sense and understanding of each individual piece of the wood. Wood is worked on in the location where it was found. It is not an easy job but this is necessary when using reclaimed wood and not healthy living trees.
It's not an easy job, but if we don't want to cut down healthy trees, there's no other way...
Here, wood moisten by water spray shows its beautiful grain and color which is always very exciting to a European who is used to lumber made from spruce and oak.
Stumps can be valuable but to industrial producers of wooden products, they are considered waste material and not worth the cost of transportation.
In order to mature, stumps must undergo at least 10 seasonal cycles of dry and rainy weather. Mature wood does not crack when carved and, because the wood is hard, it resists termites as it weathers. On the other hand, a stump would require the same amount of time that it took to grow while it was still alive in order to naturally decompose completely. 😉
A craftsman has to use his extraordinary three dimensional imagination to make a decision on how to utilize a stump or root.
He has to be able to create a scene in his mind’s eye or risk damaging the carving because of a knot, crack, speckling, an embedded stone, or other imperfection.
A photograph or drawing might be used to illustrate a possible design for the piece of wood that will be carved by the Zimbabwean craftsmen.
This is a close-up of the tusker elephants that were carved into a table named The Best of Africa. How would you appraise this completed piece? Would you be able to determine where this piece of wood was originally located on the stump? 😉
See for yourself how they did with the scene we agreed on.
Also, what might be considered a defect in the wood can actually be a characteristic that can be incorporated into the design of the carving because these craftsmen are one with natural environment they have grown up with and, therefore, have an intrinsic ability and understanding of how to best utilize a piece of wood in carving a scene. In the case of different colored areas found in one stump or root, a craftsman might, for example, use these two different but adjacent regions to create water buffalo (carved in the darker wood) that appear to be standing in water (the lighter and brighter area section of the wood). In this way, what one might have considered a defect in the wood is actually an integral part of the design created by the craftsman.
They grew up in the same conditions and understand their wood the best in the world.
Our products are finished with natural oils and waxes that preserve the wood and at same time highlight the grain. We do not use paint and strive to conserve the natural magic and soul of the wood.
Our products are 100% guaranteed. Each piece is provided with a certificate of origin and documentation that shows that the purchase was legal.
We provide a 100 % guarantee of origin. We are ECO friendly, nature-friendly and above ECO legal.
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