Leaning Dovetails
Leaning Dovetails
Cherry 36″H x 17″W x 20″D
I recently added the Leaning Dovetails to my website. I completed the piece a few years ago but it had not made its way onto this version of my website. The catalyst was it’s inclusion in a show at the Silas Marder Gallery. The Leaning Dovetails had a prime position and I was delighted to see this piece again with fresh eyes. Pat Rogers of the Hamptons Art Hub included the piece in her rundown of the Thanksgiving art events. View Story
The leaning Dovetails are based on a notion that has crept into a number of my pieces. That notion is the dovetail as more than a structural joint. My approach transforms them into a landscape within a larger composition. I think of them in terms of a painting: like an interior still life in which the artist introduces a window or a painting on the wall, thus adding a composition within the composition.
The Leaning Dovetails connect to the wall with a clip that is hidden within the thickness of the cherry wood. The mass of the piece comes off the wall in an unusual angle. This sets up the possibility for the piece to immediately become noticed by anyone in the room. The angled thrust pushed all the way down to the floor where the piece adopt a delicate, expressive, stance.
By Nico Yektai -New York based designer/maker Nico Yektai opened the doors to his Hamptons studio in 1995 after completing the MFA program at the School For American Craft at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The rigorous technical training complimented his background in Art History, which he studied, at Hobart College in Geneva NY. Yektai has synthesized this background into a singular style that has gained him national attention. Visit nicoyektai.com for more information
Bench #3 From Bench Series #2
This bench marks an important step in my work. I had just completed the massive Bench #2 from Series #2 and i was looking to make a bench that was smaller. Bench #3 still needed to have a major presence or i was not going to let it come out of the model making stage. The piece came to life for me when I came up with the complicated shape of the cast concrete legs. Lets just say that the forms were very complicated to build. I knew that they were going to be interesting so I felt confident that I could exit the model making phase.
The result is a bench that I am very proud of. Bench #3 often has a hard time being noticed in my chronology because it is sandwiched between to 10′ long benches that have both been features at the LongHouse Reserve in East hampton NY. I thought I would take a moment to revisit the bench.
Bench #3 from my portfolio
Bench #3 Series #2
Mahogany and Cast Concrete 17″H x 84″W x 22″D
The bench features an asymmetrical top that has a pleasing angle towards the middle. All of the benches in this series are designed to be capable of outdoor use. The angle of the seat serves double duty, comfort and the ability to shed water. The connection to the concrete represents one of those structural moments that becomes an essential part of the design. Structural decoration as I call it. The legs are bolted to a piece of mahogany that adds to the visual thickness and rhythm of the top.
Below is another example of Bench #3. This platform is very flexible and I am able to offer custom combinations of woods, color of concrete and size. My work is all one-of-a-kind so this sort of client involvement is part of the experience.
Finally Bench #3 from Series #2 is a very capable outdoor bench. Here are some pictures from an installation at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens. Please note that benches are made as either indoor or outdoor benches. The outdoor version can always go indoors but the indoor version can not make the reverse journey.
By Nico Yektai -New York based designer/maker Nico Yektai opened the doors to his Hamptons studio in 1995 after completing the MFA program at the School For American Craft at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The rigorous technical training complimented his background in Art History, which he studied, at Hobart College in Geneva NY. Yektai has synthesized this background into a singular style that has gained him national attention. Visit nicoyektai.com for more information
Corner Pieces
Many years ago I began to explore furniture designed for the corner of a room. The idea is that these pieces could slip into a well furnished home without moving another piece out. The pursuit has evolved into an ongoing series.
More information is available in my portfolio site
Construction from my blog
These corner pieces both evolved from the corner piece pictured below. The introduction of cast concrete into my worked opened the doe to the evolution of the form. The concrete helped create the stable foundation of the piece. The rest of the detailing evolves to tie into the concrete element and provide the elements required for each version of the piece to be unique.
I am planning on visiting the series again in the near future.
Corner Piece #3
Sapele, Bleached Ash and White Cast Concrete 60″H x 18″W x 18″D
Corner Piece #3 cherry
Cherry 60″H x 18″W x 18″D
By Nico Yektai -New York based designer/maker Nico Yektai opened the doors to his Hamptons studio in 1995 after completing the MFA program at the School For American Craft at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The rigorous technical training complimented his background in Art History, which he studied, at Hobart College in Geneva NY. Yektai has synthesized this background into a singular style that has gained him national attention. Visit nicoyektai.com for more information
