Charlotte Perriand's Nuage-inspired shelves are done!

 

 

As you know, we were lusting for some Charlotte Perriand-inspired shelves for the hallway. Perriand named her design "Nuage," the French word for cloud. How perfect is that! Originals of her floating shelves go for more than $100,000 (!!!), so that was not an option. And for the cabin, they needed to be of a certain dimension and design to fit the space and line up structurally with the studs in the wall.

I worked up the concept and general dimensions and then worked with Ford at Little Water Woodworks in Wimsatt, New Mexico (a short drive east of Cloudcroft) to realize the design. Oh my, did he do a amazing job!

Perriand's original design had the vertical elements (the black bits) made out of aluminum, although, when her first design came out, she used wood due to aluminum rationing during WW II. Ford is a woodworker, not an aluminumworker, so we went with wood. He finished the verticals in a way to perfectly complement the shou sugi ban wall around the corner with a light sanding to bring out the grain. 

Ford also designed the shelves such that they hang on hidden hangers in the rear, so there is no visible hardware "streetside," enhancing the floating of the shelves. Because Perriand showed the bolts attaching the shelves to the vertical supports, Ford did the same with lightly-sunk black bolts. 

We've yet to see the shelves in person (we missed installation by a day) and can't wait to see them up close. Ford did invite me to visit his shop in Wimsatt before we had to return to Austin (and he was great about sharing photos of progress). This is one of those projects that exceeded our wildest imagination. I told Ford that it's almost a shame to put anything on these shelves because they are so gorgeous and sculptural on their own!

Most mountain-folk prefer more traditional designs (see his website), so we're grateful Ford was so interested in this project and did such a great job. I can't stop smiling about these shelves!