The Strata Drinks Cabinet Made with Ebonised Oak and Aberdeenshire Elm

At Lethenty Cabinetmakers, we mainly work to commission. This means we very rarely get the opportunity to create something that’s completely our own design.

I have recently been working alongside Cabinetmaker Phil Pratt to design and make a completely new piece for our showroom. It’s called the Strata drinks cabinet and it’s made from Ebonised Oak and Aberdeenshire Elm.

I love the way the richly grained Elm timber flow horizontally around the cabinet – not with the repetition of perfectly matched veneers but in a more natural and untamed way.

The grain patterns remind me of the folded strata lines you sometimes see in metamorphic rock –

We have extensive stocks of locally grown Elm timber and the deep colours and  swirling grain patterns are really beautiful.

We’ve contrasted the rich grained Elm by using plain grained local Oak with an ebonised finish for the outer frame and the legs. The end result is a piece with a distinctive Asian feel to it.

The upturned ends of the top and the splayed feet are reminiscent of antique Korean furniture or even the shape of a Torri gate at the entrance to a Japanese temple.

Inside, the cabinet, there’s a green marble mixing surface, shelves for two rows of bottles, storage for glasses and a small dovetailed drawer.

The back panel is made using a single sheet of fluted glass, back lit with concealed LED lighting. The doors fold back on two sets of bi-fold hinges.

The Strata drinks cabinet is currently on display in our showroom so feel free to come along and see it for yourself.