When NZ pine meets Danish design

By PAM GRAHAM


The wraps came off a New Zealand-inspired Danish-designed furniture range at the opening of the International Furniture Fair in Cologne last night.

The collection is called Northland.

It is made from Taupo Clearwood, which is being marketed as an exclusive wood to an expected 200,000 show visitors from 90 countries. Pruned radiata pine from forests in the Taupo region have been sawn to present a straight grain without knots before Scandinavian finishes are applied. The pitch is that the manufacturing process creates a new look.

"The challenge was to get the distinctive straight grain to stand out clearly in the pieces, and to find the look that would highlight the parallel lines best," said designer Hans Thyge Raunkjaer. "To a very considerable degree the wood itself determined the furniture's form."

The products are the outcome of a partnership between Danish furniture company Zenia House and Fletcher Challenge Forests. Neither would say yesterday where the range will be manufactured, its retail price or if it will be in New Zealand shops.

The collection consists of a table and chairs, vitrine, three different chests of draws, a sideboard and a bedroom suite. It comes in two lacquered finishes, White Nature and Expresso.

New Zealand's clean green image is getting a full blast at the launch. The country is promoted as blessed by nature and environmentally pure with people of restless spirit. An affinity with the sea and shoreline gets a mention, with Maori heritage and the success of the film industry.

The key to the success of this venture will be the reaction of trade buyers. The Cologne furniture show is one of the world's largest and has a reputation for setting new trends for the retail year.