We moved to Panama (2006-2013) to embark on a design adventure, striving to understand and experience product development as a life cycle by starting at the raw material's source and ending in the client's home. Our 7 year journey is condensed here as a visual collage.
For our first six months, I ran the shop at Rancho de Caldera, a small resort created by Gina Tippet Cronin and Chris McCall. We created all the woodwork on the property, mainly sliding teak doors and teak shoji transom windows.
Transom windows and sliding teak doors we made for the 7 cabins on the property.
Gutting the interior...
Rear of the shop, which we tore down, poured a slab and rebuilt the roof as a finishing area.
Leo in the shop
Butterfly on the knives
Rancho's solar kiln on the left. When lumber was delivered, we'd select blocks from the truck, unload them, resaw them, and place into the kiln.
Upon completing our work for Rancho de Caldera, we converted an old shack into a shop.
Massimo approves
Marco’s cutoffs are Fernando’s treasures
Rainy season as viewed from inside the shop.
Working on very first project in shop. Panama was all about improvisation and making things work, yet always driven by producing the best possible product given the inherent contraints.
From left to right - wood delivered and entered for processing - cut and joined inside - sanded and finished outside - and ready for delivery. All the furniture we made, for hotels, restaurants, and hotels was created here. After the first 4 years, we converted a second building down the road for finishing and storage.
Nesting bench/tables, solid laurel wood, very similar to walnut, a bit softer
Adirondacks chairs, solid panamanian teak
First pieces made in the shop, 4 cabinets like the one shown above for a residence.
Pre-school class shown with new shelving donated by Bogazzi Inc.
Sideboard, tabaco wood
Dining Set, tabaco wood and raw leather
Teak side tables, Boquete
Resawing the most beautiful blocks of Quira (similar to bloodwood)I had ever seen. All projects started by selecting blocks - there were no commercial kilns to be found in western Panama, you either built your own, or purchased lumber as inventory, and stacked for air-drying - this process became an artform in and of itself.
The Quira slabs, manifested as book shelves in a Boquete residence.
Ariel and I finishing an install at Toco Madera Restaurant, Hotel Ladera, Boquete
Espacios Magazine, August, 2012
Dining set, solid teak, Las Olas resort, Alanje
Floating credenza, Valle Escondido, Boquete
Lounge Chairs, Las Olas Resort, Alanje, Panama
We furnished the Toco Madera restaurant at Hotel Ladera, Boquete, using 100% Panamanian plantation teak
Floating credenza, solid cedro, Valle Escondido, Boquete, Panama
We designed and made the furnishings for the new Osteria Restaurant in Casco Viejo Panama. Here is the wine rack mounted onto the historic Calicanto walls in the wine room. Our first Osteria chairs were made for this restaurant, hence the name.
Fernando reviewing the delivery at L'Osteria Restaurante, Casco Viejo, Panama
Poolside bench, teak and stainless steel hardware, Boquete, Panama
