I recently completed two versions of the new Planter #9. The name correctly implies that these are the ninth installment in the ongoing series of creative garden containers. This composition revolves around the notion of delicacy. Cement board has allowed me to replicate the look of concrete in a very thin package. The result is a pair of planters that terminate at acute points creating a dialogue unlike any of my previous offerings. The rest of the composition erupts into two very different containers. One is long and low and gently gets taller. The other is not as long but it erupts in a curved thrust to a much higher altitude. Together the pair move the eye from one end to the other bridging the gap between them.

I should mention that the wooden corners serve to connect the disparate materials together and they become an essential part of the visual composition. Needless to say i have taken the opportunity to introduce tremendous variation into the woodwork through the use of my signature shifting and faceting.

Planters #9 in construction

Planters #9 in the Southampton Press

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

I was thrilled to be part of an article in the Southampton Press this week celebrating the upcoming Planters on & Off the Ground show. I gave a brief interview in which I expressed gratitude to Jack Lenor Larsen and the LongHouse for the opportunity to continue my exploration of the planter as subject.

Cement and wood planters : more information

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

The sixth installment of the LongHouse Reserve’s planters show opens on Saturday June 22 with the presentation of the awards. I will be presenting a new planter in two different configurations. Planter #9 is constructed from cement board and sapele wood. I choose the cement board because I was hoping to have the look of concrete with a fraction of the weight. It turned out to be a really fun build! I documented the process for an article in the Southampton Press which should be available on the newsstands today. I will post a few of the pictures below-

LongHouse website

Trimming the cement board. I used a product called Hardiboard because of the quality and it had the look that I was going for.

The planters quickly took shape.

I use wood corners for the structure and to add intricacy to the composition.

The corners are screwed together.

Its time to compose the sapele corners. The bandsaw and sanders help the forms evolve.

Taking shape nicely.

The planters come apart to be finished. IN the end I could not control myself and I took the cement board outside to be wet polished.

I brushed my finish on the wood parts.

The last step is fabricating the PVC inserts. The final step is a quick hit with black spray paint and then its plant time!

Hope to see you all at the opening.

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