"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do."
- RUMI -
From Exhibits to Furniture
Mark Khan has been designing award winning corporate tradeshow exhibits and events for the past 30 years.
A move to South Florida and a fresh start was what life demanded.
Inspired by the beauty and nostalgia of Mid Century Modern furniture, especially by Brazilian designers, Mark has set out on a glorious new path designing and building engaging and distinctive pieces made to order.
"Thirty years of design experience and a passion to create leaves me with infinite possibilities for design." Mark Khan
Each piece is hand worked, oiled, waxed and polished, The aim is not perfection but connection. To make it visible in the piece that there was care and attention to every detail. To extract and present the history of the grain and mostly, to delight the owner, the feeler and the observer.
The Palm Beach Low Rider
It all starts somewhere and it started with the Low Rider. A low shelving unit for books that fits neatly behind a sofa.
Using materials like plexiglass tube with ideas of exposing connector truss rods was exciting and the shadows and reflections of the different materials felt good.
Adherence to details was paramount and using Poplar with a special blend of oil and wax was glorious.
The Bones Bench
After the Low Rider, one thing led to another and a local furniture retailer suggested designing benches because they sold really well.
Taking inspiration from the plexiglass tubes of the
Low Rider and using the idea of exposing internal components, the Bones Bench became an idea that embraced Mid Century styling with materials used in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Wood benches are great but adding materials like plexiglass and polished aluminum that reflect light and cast interesting shadows felt more satisfying. The orchestrated mash up of materials added detail, curiosity and intrigue to this bench. Yes, less is more but sometimes, more is more too... as long as elegance and poise is maintained.
With 152 parts, the Bones Bench is about connecting the viewer with an era where timeless iconic furniture was created. The goal is always to create pieces of art, jewels that sparkle in the eyes of the owner as well as our own. Part of that mystique is created by finishing the wood by hand. All parts are meditatively hand sanded, edges rolled, surfaces oiled and waxed until a comfortable and easy patina is realized. Almost as though it came from the past.
