Ark Cabinet

Ark Cabinet is a serving credenza created as a bespoke companion to Natalia Nesterova’s monumental Noah’s Ark (2013) for a private home. Conceived to sit alongside the painting, the cabinet translates its earthy tonal rhythms into a contemporary sculptural design object.

​

Its surface is composed of over 20,000 individually dyed ribbons of rye straw marquetry, shifting from pale blondes to deep umber tones. Angled straw ribbons wrap a façade of gently swelling sphericons, forming a tessellated skin that introduces quiet movement and rhythm across the cabinet’s exterior.

 

When closed, the piece reads as a calm, monolithic volume – a vessel of hospitality. On opening, three front panels unfold in a pleated, origami-like gesture, enabled by custom solid brass hinges. Inside, the straw marquetry continues uninterrupted through the interior, which is designed to hold glassware, serving pieces, and objects used for gatherings.

 

Ark Cabinet 2025 

Custom dyed rye straw, carbon composite, birch ply, stainless steel, brass

90 x 180 x 70 cm (h x w x d)

​​​

Commissioned for private collection (2025)

Images by Peter Ryle.