DESCRIPTION:
"The definition of one of a kind."
Jamar Simien, Creative Director of Contour
The crown jewel of our collection- the Karonga coffee table base is a large, beautifully handcrafted African Blackwood tree root. Named after the town of Karonga in Northern Malawi, the local name for Blackwood is "Mpingo." Mpingo is one of the most sought after wood species in the world. Naturally falling after a storm in the spring of 2019, it was sustainably sourced shortly after and handcrafted in our workshop outside of Lilongwe, Malawi. This tree root is extremely heavy, weighing in at about 250 pounds. Only one cubic foot of the exotic material weighs 80 pounds. It is pest proof, water proof and fire proof.
We often get questions from clients that are interested in the unique color of the Blackwood tree. The most common question is if we painted the wood. The answer is that we definitely don't paint any of our wood species, including the extremely rare African Blackwood. Among other unique qualities, it is the darkest wood species on earth. Known as "The Original Ebony", this wood was used by ancient Egyptians as utensils and instruments. It is the most coveted wood for instrument makers to this day.
This is an absolutely stunning and extremely rare piece of functional art. A 1/2" circular sheet of tempered glass would be custom cut to serve as the table top for this piece. The addition would be included in the listing price of the Blackwood coffee table base.
Malawi is part of the great rift valley and its flora and fauna are unique and some of which are not found anywhere else in the world. This beautiful tree can be used to decorate ones home and is intended to be a coffee table base. This piece of functional art will provide a distinguishing look to any living area. African Blackwood is amongst the rarest and most valuable woods in the world, similar for its properties to its cousin, Black Ebony Wood, which is just as rare and just as valuable.
ART GOES GREEN:
In partnership with Root to Fruit, we are pledging to plant 20 fruit trees in the country of Malawi when this table is sold. The client can choose the tree species, will receive a certificate from the non-profit organization, and will also have a GPS location of where their trees have been planted in Africa.
MATERIALS:
Extremely rare African Blackwood tree root
DIMENSIONS:
40.5” L x 38.5” W x 16.5” H, approximately 250 lbs
Free shipping within the U.S.
CUSTOM MADE:
Have an idea? Get it custom made by us! We have a large inventory of exotic and domestic hardwoods. Contact us via email for more information:
info@contourfunctionalart.com
