Shipping pallets, like many features of our urban landscape, are so common that they become invisible. They lay disused in warehouse yards, loading bays and back alleys around the globe. When we became aware that many discarded pallets are made of solid oak and other hardwoods, we had to take a closer look. Beneath it’s distressed exterior, bearing a rich patina of use from it’s life of utility and travel, there is often valuable hardwood that comes alive with a little hard work.
Kilter emerges from the process of taking something old and making it new, transforming something forgotten into something of use. We find great satisfaction in transforming under-appreciated materials into useful objects - it is a recurring theme in our work. We disassemble, clean, mill and sand the pallet wood, apply crisp joinery and considered proportions to reshape this discarded material. The result is a light that is minimal in form but full of character. Knot and nail holes, scars, cracks and stains serve to remind of the resilience of this material and hint at its previous service.
