the tea house
is an iconic building in the mind of any designer or craftsperson.
By it's nature it is a small structure that provides only a minimal amount of enclosure. It blends with and complements natural surroundings, often taking it's material from the landscape.
This tea house was designed and drawn over a short period of time and was to be built entirely without modern fasteners. This gave us a challenge to create a simple design with the opportunity to show it's character in the way it is built.
We believe that a material is only as good as the craftsperson who works with it. However, the value of a material also depends on how it is used. It is up to the designer to find the right materials and put them together in a way that allows the builder to do their best work and up to the builder to understand the intention of the design and execute the details accordingly.
It is important for everyone involved to have an appreciation of the entire process from the first pencil scrape to the final hammer blow. This tea house is meant to represent that idea.
all images copyright Straight Razor Finish, 2014