While checking out the work of designer Meike Hardeeike Harde, we were intrigued by her wooden aquarelle room screen. We’re always looking for clever, mutable ways to divide our space or hide an in-process project. We were pleased to see that, like Max Lamb, Harde SHARES her process, allowing us to take her ideas and RUN.

The screen itself —without the aquarelle treatment —is made out of single boards, so seems very diy-able out of plywood, or even precut poplar boards.

A U-shape is inserted on the top and bottom of the wood, fixed on one side but freely movable on the other. The metal part combines both connector and hinge in one part.

Following the trail of Harde’s description, we found a number of hinge-like fasteners that would work.

Although we’d probably just paint the screen, we do like Harde’s aquarelle experiment.

In a first step the wooden panel is clamped onto a water-proof frame. The wood is then coloured by adding pigmented water which soaks into the wood. The tinted water evaporates within a few hours and leaves a unique structure. After drying, the coloured wood is varnished with a transparent finish.

There’s something very freeing about seeing her pour the paint…and NOT be able to entirely control the results.

Meike Harde
Meike Harde

Harde also made simple stools/seats out of aquarelle-painted plywood…

Meike Harde
Meike Harde

The side tables are essentially diagonally split cubes. Different heights make them nestable. They can be combined in various arrangements suggestive of mosaic.

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