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BEN BURNETT >>
ZILLION DESIGN
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Ben Burnett’s background in sculpture infl u-
ences much more than the form his wood
furnishings take. Sure, his bold Monolith
lamp, an avant-garde pillar of wood cut
through with a slice of fl uorescent light, is as much
a striking work of art as a functional piece. But the
fact that it’s made from reclaimed fi r and aluminum
speaks to his years as a visual artist, too: “I had no
money and I was always scrounging materials. So it
was more economic,” he explains. Salvaged wood
also fi nds its way into his other expressive pieces,
whether it’s the fi r on a Pendant Turbine lamp or the
reclaimed ebony that mixes with African mahogany
and Brazilian cherry on his streamlined, multifunctional
Slide table (shown here). Still, for Burnett
(whose prices range from as low as $50 for wallmounted
coat racks to $6,000 for a high-impact dining
table), it’s his sculptural spin on tables, cabinets,
lamps, and shelving that makes his work unique
and so unexpected. He’s inspired by the modernist
style, a few years spent in Japan, and the fact that
he shares his studio space with veteran woodworker
Peter Pierobon. “But in my work, function usually
follows form,” he says. -
| FALL 2008 | | GEORGIA STRAIGHT LIVING |
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