Kumiko Steak Knife Box in Walnut and Douglas Fir

Walnut box with reclaimed douglas fir lid.

“Hello, my name is Tariq. I'm opening a restaurant here in a few months. I know it's not what you guys usually make but would you be open to making a custom box for presenting steak knives?”

This steak knife box is commissioned by Chef Tariq and Aiden, owners of Fleurette (@fleuretterestaurant). Fleurette is a fine dining restaurant that seats up to 10 diners at a time. I love the story of how Fleurette came together, from hosting private dining pop ups to owning their own space now.

The basic idea was that when it comes to the time when the course of steak is to be served, a box of steak knives would be presented to the diner. This box contains a collection of knives made in France by Roland Lannier (http://rolandlannier.com), and the diner makes a choice. I love this idea of choice, where autonomy is handed to the diner as part of the dining experience. The experience enjoyed by the customer during a fine meal is as crucial as the food itself. It is what completes food to a dining experience.

So there was the brief: design and build a box for steak knives.

We looked at the journey that the owners had made so far, both with diverse backgrounds and different strengths. Fleurette is like a child to Tarik and Aiden and to us, the restaurant would be the focal point of the design. We were provided with a logo and that became the inspiration for the box design.

We would design the box with the same shape as the logo, a pentagon. Following with the flower concept, a Kumiko grid would be added with sakura (cherry blossom) pattern, each one representing Tarik and Aiden.

Details are shown with pictures below.

Open view

Open view

frontal view of the douglas fir lid

frontal view of the douglas fir lid

Lid is made from reclaimed dougas fir. We wanted the grain to be extremely straight so the lid would be constructed by gluing pieces of straight grained wood together. Each piece is carefully chosen and quarter sawn for strength and stability.

Lid is made from reclaimed dougas fir. We wanted the grain to be extremely straight so the lid would be constructed by gluing pieces of straight grained wood together. Each piece is carefully chosen and quarter sawn for strength and stability.

The box is constructed with running grain. If you look from the left sidewall to the right, you’ll notice that the walnut grain runs continuosly from side to side. This is done by thoughtful timber selection. Wood for the sides of the box is selecte

The box is constructed with running grain. If you look from the left sidewall to the right, you’ll notice that the walnut grain runs continuosly from side to side. This is done by thoughtful timber selection. Wood for the sides of the box is selected from one long piece of timber so that the grain flows from one side to the other seamlessly. This has the added benefit of ensuring that the color of the sides are uniform.

Kumiko work On the top we have 2 sakura flowers, underlined by a strip of Asanoha on the bottom. The sakura flowers are accented by walnut infill pieces.

Kumiko work

On the top we have 2 sakura flowers, underlined by a strip of Asanoha on the bottom. The sakura flowers are accented by walnut infill pieces.

Lid handle is made from Douglas fir, and grain is matched left to right

Lid handle is made from Douglas fir, and grain is matched left to right

with a steak knife

with a steak knife

This is how it looks from the diner’s point of view when the steak knives are presented. Image contributed by Chef Tariq

This is how it looks from the diner’s point of view when the steak knives are presented. Image contributed by Chef Tariq