Panels & Furniture Asia September/October 2020

54 | DESIGN
September / October 2020, Issue 5 | Panels & Furniture Asia
TASMANIAN BLACKWOOD HEATS
THINGS UP AT LONDON RESTAURANT
By Tasmanian Timber
Mama Fuego is a 700sqm restaurant outside of London’s North Greenwich Pier. With a playful nod to the 60’s and
70’s throughout the interior’s luxe fit-out, the theme of the restaurant is brought to life through the use of the
warm tones, utilising 50 cubic meters of sustainably sourced Tasmanian Blackwood found throughout the space.
BLACKWOOD CENTRAL TO RESTAURANT DESIGN
Designed by de la Vega Architects who have been executing
projects around Australia and across the globe, Mama Fuego is a
culinary fusion of South American and Australian cuisine, making
the restaurant’s main material choice, an Australian timber, a
perfect fit. Crafted by Justin Macri and his team at their Sydney
based facility Metric Joinery, the venue’s joinery, bar tops,
kitchen, coffee counters, wine fridge, sunken lounge, tables,
wall paneling, banquet seating, and feature zig-zag half wall,
are all made from sustainably sourced Tasmanian Blackwood.
“It was the first time I had used Blackwood and the timber
performed beautifully. I really enjoyed working with the
Blackwood and the client loved how the few blackwood elements
were coming together so much that the amount of Blackwood
specified tripled in size,” said Macri.
With modular construction, the Blackwood pieces came to life
through a collaborative effort between the architects, de la
Vega Architects and Metric Joinery, and were manufactured to
be easily dismantled with knock-down connections and then
shipped overseas where the pieces were assembled like a puzzle.
Mama Fuego is a culinary fusion of South American and Australian cuisine, making
the restaurant’s main material choice, Tasmanian Blackwood, a perfect fit
Using state-of-the-art technology alongside traditional methods
like wood turning to create 200mm diameter expertly designed
and crafted table legs, each piece was hand finished with a
Danish oil to show off the timber’s natural lustre and to achieve
a pristine final product.
“We always employ the latest technology in all of our projects,
but the finishing touches are done by hand. The workability
of the Blackwood enabled us to achieve a great end result.
Blackwood is a beautiful product,” explained Macri.
“It was the first time I had used Blackwood and the timber performed beautifully. I
really enjoyed working with the Blackwood and the client loved how the few Blackwood
elements were coming together so much that the amount of blackwood specified tripled
in size,” said Justin Macri from Metric Joinery in Sydney, Australia
TASMANIAN TIMBERS GAINING INTERNATIONAL
ATTENTION
As Tasmanian Blackwood remains a favourite among joiners,
architects and furniture makers within Australia, the use of
Tasmanian Timber in the international market has begun to
take off. Shawn Britton, Managing Director of Britton Timbers,
one of Australia’s leading timber suppliers, said they’ve noticed
Tasmanian Blackwood has piqued the interest of architects and
designers abroad.