Design we love: Is driftwood making a comeback?

We remember (admittedly, it was quite a long time ago) when driftwood was considered to be a really chic design accent–people were putting soft, sinuous hunks of it here and there (on mantlepieces, on bookshelves, in the corners of rooms). Then it went wildly out of fashion. Too sweet? Too cute?  Too arty? Too sentimental?

But none of this cuts any ice with Ron Fraser who has come to see driftwood with fresh eyes (driftwood reinvigorated)–as a charming, funky, sensuous, expressive material. To that end, he is fabricating a lamp from the stuff.  The lamp is still, he tells us, a work in progress–which is why it still features, at one point, a clamp to hold it together (but we do hope he keeps the clamp when the lamp is finished!). The great retro shade perfectly picks up and alludes to driftwood’s small but meaningful place in the history of interior design.

Because Fraser’s lamp is a work in progress, it isn’t for sale–but it will be. Maybe by the time you read this, it’ll have a price tag on it.

You can see the piece at Rec + Art History.
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