The Storm, The Craft & The Future marks a personal milestone in Anton Gerner’s 35-year career as a furniture designer and maker. It’s a unique opportunity to experiment with new ideas, push boundaries, explore bold new concepts and techniques, and bring seemingly impossible ideas to life.

The exhibition invites audiences to engage with the evolving role of craftsmanship in contemporary culture, encouraging them to reflect on how objects shape their environments and daily experiences. It’s a dialogue enhanced by the rich history of Labassa and its preserved heritage interiors.

By reimagining traditional joinery and veneer techniques, this exhibition serves as a bridge between the past and future and inspires both creators and collectors to explore the boundaries of furniture design.

The exhibition consists of 10 entirely new works, including those shown below.

Tree Cabinets

Ebonised Red Gum, Burr Elm from the 1987 UK Great Storm, Maple plywood, aged brass

 The kernel of inspiration behind the new exhibition, this pair of cabinets is crafted from Elm salvaged from the UK’s 1987 Great Storm. The power of the story inspired Anton to pay tribute to the life of the fallen tree and the completed cabinets are emblematic of his commitment to merging nature’s raw beauty with contemporary design principles.

“By reassembling the timber’s natural edges, I’ve managed to evoke the original form of its trunk and branches. The organic contours and flowing grain tell the story of resilience and renewal, transforming the chaos of nature into a poetic celebration of life.”

This contour of the natural edge contrasts vividly against the deliberately simple black background of Ebonised Red Gum. One cabinet features 12 drawers and the other has two doors.

Burr Walnut Egg Chest

Burr Walnut, Celery Top Pine, plywood, aged brass

The Egg Chests mark a new direction in Anton’s work, favouring curves and contrasts to achieve more ornamental outcomes. Shaped like eggs and seemingly on the verge of toppling, these pieces play with balance and expectation. The drawers are fully functional and seamlessly integrate into the ‘egg’, while the apparent precarity is countered by aged brass bases that act as solid anchors.

Historically, Burr Walnut was reserved for classic Victorian chests – elegant, rectangular, and restrained. But, in true Anton style, he wanted to challenge convention and question why a chest of drawers must conform to such a rigid shape. The rich, swirling grain of the Burr Walnut enhances the piece’s organic, fluid nature.

The Vector Collection: Three Cabinets Exploring Form and Contrast

Fiddleback Ash, Ebonised Fiddleback Ash, Huon Pine, aged brass

This collection of three small cabinets explores the intersection of art and functional design. The four faces of each piece are adorned with bold patterns, creating a vivid visual contrast against the deep, ebonised Fiddleback Ash. Meticulously made from Huon Pine, the patterns stand out with warmth and clarity, their sharp lines and graphic forms heightening the sculptural presence of the cabinets.

The interiors tell a different story. The same Fiddleback Ash is left in its natural state, revealing its lighter, more delicate side and offering a quiet balance to the visually compelling exteriors.

The three cabinets are supported by angular, folded legs, inspired by the geometry of folded cardboard. The legs also enhance the sense of balance and tension, with the cabinets seemingly poised lightly on their foundations. Aged brass handles and hinges introduce another layer of material contrast, their subtle patina not distracting from the complex patterns.

Designed to hold precious objects, these cabinets invite interaction and appreciation. Their presence is both commanding and intricate.

“While each cabinet stands alone as a statement, together they make a cohesive statement – a new direction in my work in which strong contrasts and minute details metamorphose furniture into a more expressive medium.”

Photos: Andrew Curtis