Magazine

Handcrafted Furniture in Burr Poplar

The Rose Uniacke Editions Collection includes handcrafted furniture in sustainably sourced Burr Poplar Veneer. Burr poplar is a rare type of poplar wood that develops unusual growths, or burls, on the trunk. These burls are used to create a distinctive and visually appealing veneer. Burr Poplar is highly prized for its unique appearance and its strength.

The Editions pieces include the Floating Side Cabinet, Double Floating Side Cabinet, Veneered Writing Desk, Veneered Occasional Desk and Floating Pedestal Desk.

The Floating Side Cabinet doors unfold to reveal hidden shelves. The patinated brass pulls, nestled discreetly at the edges, add a touch of warmth and antique charm.

Also available with double doors and in Red Lacquer and Black Lacquer finish.

The Veneered Occasional Desk is a modern desk with a minimalist design. It is a compact, linear take on Rose's Veneered Writing Desk.

The top is veneered wood, which gives a smooth and elegant finish. The base has brass sabots for added stability. There is also a single sliding, compartmented drawer for storing small items.

The Floating Pedestal Desk is a more traditional piece of furniture. It has a twin pedestal base with a detachable veneered rectangular top.

The desk has two generous storage cabinets. Each cabinet has a single drawer with a patinated brass pull. The drawers are made of wood and have a smooth, gliding action. The cabinets have a hinged door that reveals a shelved interior that provides ample storage space for books, papers, and other items.

All pieces are made from sustainably sourced burr poplar. They are handcrafted in the UK by skilled artisans and hand finished with a natural oil. The burr poplar veneer gives each piece a unique and one-of-a-kind look.

The Treasure House Fair 2025 Collection

For The Treasure House Fair 2025, Rose Uniacke’s curation was an exploration of dark and light as outlined in Tanizaki’s celebrated 1930s essay on Japanese aesthetics.

Restrained in palette, the stand offered the discipline of black lacquer and iron, in contrast with the sparkling play of light from glass; the subtlety of diffused light and the soft sheen of ceramics against the gleam of gold and bronze - everywhere, glimmer chased shadow, in a stunning meditation on 19th century Japonisme.

The soft depth of Rose Uniacke Heavy Weight Cotton Velvet in Burnt Sienna warmed and offset the starkness and elegance of the stand’s star pieces: a Daniel Cottier ebonised pedestal desk, a Coalbrookdale cabinet, and an Owen Jones bookcase, among many others.

The Cottier desk, in contrast to the heavy vulgarity common to much 19th-century furniture, had a refinement and strength that gestured towards the Japanese aesthetic with its soft black lacquer finish, its restrained design and the delicate threads of gold which highlighted its elegant linearity of form. It was perfectly echoed and partnered by the deep black ornamentation of the Coalbrookdale cabinet and the spareness of the Owen Jones bookcase, whose classical columns were picked out in gold at top and bottom with the simplicity and restraint of a line drawing.

To bring this darkness to life, the stand offered Simone Prouve’s shimmering wall hangings and a stunning selection of vertical 20th-century white glass lights.

The pair of Barovier & Toso cordonato wall lights, whose design replicates the twist of a piece of rope, together with the exceptional cordonato wall sconce measuring 135cm in height, playfully exaggerated the lines of gold inlay in the furniture and brought stripes of vertical light to illuminate the stand.

This brightness was echoed and amplified by the purity of Simone Prouve’s panels, made in white polythene, providing, in sharp contrast, the beauty of a hyper-modern material whose apparent softness of texture belies its permanence and strength.

At the centre of the curation was an exceptionally rare Poul Henningsen Septima chandelier, which casted his trademark diffused light over all, through petal-like glass shades, whose frosted sections create a pattern of layered light. The delicate fragility of its overlapping shades, mediated the light through both clear and frosted glass, and the softly patinated nickel-plated fittings perfectly showcased Henningsen’s unequalled mastery of his medium. Additional Poul Henningsen copper pendant lights echoed the bronze and gold tones that were seen throughout the stand.

As context for the Japonisme offered and explored by 2025's curation, there was an oval walnut table with extravagantly carved frieze and over-shaped serpentine legs whose flowing lines and natural beauty opened a lively dialogue with the more restrained Japanese aesthetic of the desk and bookcase. The occasional table reflected the North Italian Baroque style, characterised by ornate details and a sense of grandeur that was visible in the dramatic shapes throughout. The Os de Mouton settee, re-upholstered in Rose Uniacke Cotton Velvet in Pickle, with extravagantly curved legs that mimic the horns of a ram, echoed the lines of the sleek Italian 1950s console and offered a lovely movement and naturalism.

On the shelves of the bookcase, in further homage to Japan, a fine selection of ceramic and metalware vases sat alongside one another, including a signed Art Deco Jean Besnard blue and crackle-glazed gold vase, and a beautiful enamelled vase by Kunio Watanabe.

To bring the whole stand into the modern day, and to provide a contemporary edge, the floor was of panelled, skimmed concrete, offsetting the historicism of the 18th and 19th century pieces and giving everything the freshness and balance that is Rose Uniacke’s unique trademark.