“We chose this demanding shape not because it is easy to create. On the contrary, we chose it because it is difficult. ” Samuel Rihak, designer
Wave collection is inspired by classical beauty. It forms an opposition to fast-changing trends. It does not come out of fashion quickly and thus is more relevant to the passage of time. With classic beauty we understand the shapes deep within us. Shapes that have been part of European culture for millennia. We decided to create the Wave collection as a new standard of classic beauty. The shape of the Wave collection is unique. It does not copy historical trends, it follows them. We bridge the past and the present. Our mission is to create an environment of beauty in which you can live in harmony.
The Wave is an original, hand crafted collection made in Bratislava, Slovakia. The story begins with the successful premiere of the Wave desk at Bratislava Design Week 2017. Back there we introduced the overall styling of the collection. The unique shape is inspired by the river Danube, its winding and dramatic curves that pass through our city of Bratislava.
The collection is designed so that it can be added-on gradually. Every detail is individually hand crafted for the Wave collection. The materials represent the best of the European furniture tradition such as walnut veneer and brass metal, plated with 24-carat gold.
When designing the Wave collection, we realised the material selection is crucial. Material defines the product and emotions associated with the product. The surface finish was defined early in the process. Continuing the legacy of European furniture makers, American walnut was the choice No.1 because of its extraordinary depth and colour. Every trunk of the walnut tree selected for the veneer industry is hand-picked by the timber master and gets carefull treatment in the lumber mill. Then we step in. We select the individual veneers at the lumber yard. They are trimmed and stitched together to create a flawless, continuous layer. The application of the veneers follows the rule of one continuous flow of the wood lines. In order to achieve a natural look, every piece of veneer has to be manually trimmed, checked and carefully applied on the item. It is time consuming and focused work. Our precision at this stage defines the quality of the product because it can not be modified later. After finishing the application, excessive material is trimmed, sand papered and pores are filled. Surface finish of cellulose lacquer is applied to create the deep glow. We use as much as 20 layers of lacquer, providing an exclusive long lasting gloss mirroring its surroundings in every detail.
The original 24-carat gold-plated brass applications are manufactured in a very special way. A very distinctive and recognizable style, they are designedand manufactured especially for the Wave collection. The brass applications are in fact born as molten liquid metal.
The story begins when the brass ingots are bought by a master craftsmen specialised in smelting of brass. The material is then taken to a foundry in Bratislava. The material is then melted in a furnace at slightly over 1030°C and then die casted into a already preheated forms made of sand. The process has to be monitored closely to prevent bubbles from forming.
After around two hours of smelting, another four hours for cooling down the form can be taken apart. We check the results of the die casting process for imperfections. Faulty pieces are dismissed and put back trough the smelting process. Several hours are spent then with the basic Level 1 grinding, putting away all the excessive brass and intake channels. After this process we can still find hidden imperfections, that rule out further processing. The faulty pieces go bac to the beginning, as material for the furnace. Then, the Level 2 grinding, done entirely by hand, begins. This is the most time consuming part. The grinding and polishing of the brass surface can last over 5 hours per piece. After all day work, your fingers really hurt. Then a final mechanical polishing finishes the surface and we get a beautiful, glossy and luxurious item. We are almost done, but before the product is delivered to you, it is gold plated with 24-carat gold.
