Getabako
I live in a building with a family upstairs who used to live in Japan. When they came back to the States, they kept a few Japanese habits. One of which, not wearing shoes inside, left them—and our building—with a hallway full of shoes.
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I was asked if I could design and build them a shoe bench, or a getabako as it's called in Japanese.
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I started by looking at all the various forms of shoe benches in Japan. There are literally hundreds of styles that were interesting to study. After a few days of thinking about the space and their needs, I began sketching.
Project Goal
Create a sturdy wooden storage bench for shoes.
I reviewed my concepts with my clients and continued the evolve the designs, focusing in on their preference for slatted top, and a less bulky look that didn't include drawers.
Final Design
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After a few more rounds of back and forth with the client, we settled on a design that combined a symmetrical slatted top with thinner supports. The design had enough room for their basic shoes along with space for a pair of rain boots.
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The wood finish would combine darker wood (or stain) with a more natural oiled look.
The client preferred a lighter, more feminine look, so I shifted the design from mahogany to cherry for the top, and from maple to oak for the bottom.
Planning the Build
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For the build, I revisited the dimensions of the getabako relative to the space:
And created the materials list of 1" x 2" and 1" x 12" hardwood, with an eye toward using oak for the base and cherry for the slats if available.
Finished Product
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The build is in progress. More to come...
