Archived entries for
A minute with RK Design
Riikka is the designer behind one of our most fun and popular collections at The Minimalist Store. The collection consists of bright and bold posters, cutting boards and trivets and postcards. She is a photographer and stylist based in Finland. We took a moment to ask her about her home and upcoming projects to help you get to know her a little better. Because we love her!
-You in 3 words? Too many projects
- Your design philosophy? At it´s best design to me is simple and it combines both the spirit of the time and timelessness. That is something I want to bring to my own work too and hopefully it shows. I want to make people happy and not to take their lives too seriously.
-You are at your most creative when…? I´ve had a good sleep at night and I´m drinking my morning coffee. Then I can start planning etc.
- What is inspiring you right now? Raw materials, 90´s, dip dyeing, colour that usually don´t mix well, and also hand drawn black and white pictures.
- Any special projects on the go? Well there is a DIY -book coming on next year that I have been working on almoust year now with my dear friend Susanna Vento. I´m also working on one textile project but I will tell about it later.
- What is the one thing you would love to change about your home? I like it here when it´s clean so maybe I should have a cleaning lady. (joke, I would never afford one)
-Do you have any of your designs in your home? I use my cutting boards, trivets and trays. I also have some posters, but i like to change those a lot.
- Best design purchase? We don´t have any expensive design at home but we did get old LOKKI valaisin from my husbands parents and I have always loved it.
Posters by RK Design. From left ‘Kiss My Neon’ $45, ‘Tiger says Meow’ $45, and new posters ‘Black Rock’ $35, ‘Skull’ $38 all available here.
Plank and Trestle | By Mike and Lana
At our latest Pop Up store you may have noticed a rather beautiful matt black trestle table sitting elegantly in the middle of our space. She is classy and understated and the perfect canvas for all of our beautiful wares. She was lovingly hand made by Plank and Trestle just for us! Mike and Lana are trying to bring more people and trestles together and we are all for it! Here is a little snap shot of the hard work that goes into each table and how you can get one for yourself!
The Minimalist loves supporting locals and designing our beautiful table could not have been easier because we were talking to the designer and maker directly and even though they had never made a matt black trestle before they were willing to give anything a go and the finished piece could not have been more perfect!
What is the table made from?
We use a range of different new and recycled timbers depending on the style and finish our client is after. We built your table out of pine as it was going to be stained a very dark colour.
How long from start to finish would an average table take to make?
The time we devote to each table varies, depending on the type of trestle table we are making, its size and any special design features it may have. For some custom-orders we will also make a ‘practice’ table to ensure we have the design absolutely perfect before making the real deal.
Our gorgeous rustic tables in our Coastal range take a lot of time to build as we mill each Oregon plank down individually – the amount depending on how “beat up” our client wants their table to be. We then whitewash the top in multiple strength numerous times until we are happy with the colour. Once each individual plank is joined to form the top it undergoes many rounds of sanding and waxing to achieve that beautiful smooth finish that still retains it’s rustic and natural character. It takes about 4 to 5 days to make one table – longer depending on the size.
While the trestle tables from our Coloured range – like the black table we made for The Minimalist – take less time to ‘build’ because they are made of new timber, they take a lot of time to colour to ensure that gorgeous pop of bright colour and gloss finish. It also does not help that we are completely perfectionistic about the coverage of our paint! We always think… just one more coat, just one more coat…. It takes 3-4 days to make one of our coloured tables.
Different trestle legs designs also take different amounts of time to build. Often clients will specify that they want a table of a certain size to seat a certain number of people. Sometimes this requires some redesigning of the angles and widths of the trestles to maximise the amount of seating room possible which takes greater time. For the table we made for The Minimalist we used our streamlined trestle leg design which is the most classic and traditional.
What is our matt black table finished with?
Your table is finished with a matt black stain that is dark enough to colour the table but allows the character and markings of the timber to peep through.
What is the price of a table like ours?
A table like the one made for The Minimalist starts at $599.
What prices do your tables start from?
Our Coloured range starts at $599 for a 1.8m x 72cm trestle desk and $999 for a 6-seater dining table.
Our Coastal range starts from $799 for a 1.8m x 72 cm trestle desk and $1099 for a 6-seater dining table.
The price of our custom orders depends on the size, style and design that has been asked for.
Where are the tables made?
We make all of our tables in our workshop in Gerringong which is a beach town between Kiama and Berry on the gorgeous NSW South Coast.
“Call us romantic, dreamy, we can’t help it, we just wanted to bring people and trestles back together.”
If you want to work with the lovely Mike and Lana to design a table or desk of your own you can get in touch with them here. Or take a look at some of the beautiful tables they have made recently over on their Facebook page for some inspiration. We are all for supporting local manufacturers and designers and hope you will too!
P.S My new absolute favourite word is ‘perfectionistic’ Thanks Lana!
