Taking inspiration from African tribal art and patterns, designer Davide G. Aquini designed Soninke, a buffet made with recycled wood. Aquini’s idea came from the lacquering process that is used in the making of handcrafted furniture. During the process, long wooden slats are used to isolate various parts of the furniture when lacquering it. The slats take on colorful striped patterns on the edges after they’ve been used several times.
Taking those once-discarded slats, Aquini uses them as the door fronts of the buffet, creating a decorative pattern. A 2D color pattern emerges when the boards are laid out side-by-side and reference the bold colors and contrasts of African art. The different thicknesses of the wood creates a 3D texture on the front.