Some recycled wood furniture is not just recycled wood furniture. The work of Italian designer David Aquini is a case in point. His carefully crafted buffet furniture is a long oblong piece of woodwork with a powerful visual presence.

But there is more to the ‘Soninke’. If you recognise the name (from an African people that originated in the western Sahara), you may associate the vivid colours of the front panelling with tribal influences. However, the wood used is all reclaimed from urban settings. This presents an interesting clash of cultures, all summarised in the outermost layer of a decorative panel.

The idea used is developed from the lacquering process more frequently used for handcrafted furniture. During the production process of all kinds of furniture, long wooden secondary slats are used to seal away different parts of the furniture for lacquering. After several usages, these wooden slats, which assume a characteristic striped pattern, are discarded.

It is these slats that the designer used as the basis for his buffet furniture. The various colours are merely off-shoots from other projects. In combination, the vibrant 2D pattern together with the 3D texture that comes from the various thicknesses of the wooden slats used form the dynamic visual whole.

But the waste takes on a decorative form when combined with a designer’s sharp eye for detail and composition. In this case, the designer has put together a project that brings together the strong colours and the sharp contrasts that characterise both African tribal art and industrial lacquering.

The furniture is also symbolic for a growing trend: young designers who don’t have the resources needed for brand new pieces. Instead, more and more designers are turning to collectible raw material. If it’s as pretty as this, there’s no reason to stop.

Images and information via the designer.