Palmcrate is a series of furniture pieces that explores the narratives of material, process, place, and cultural context embedded in a ubiquitous material. It re-contextualises these narratives in innovative ways to create fresh meanings, uses, and significations.

Evidence of the palm crate can be found in ancient representations of Egyptian markets. Even now, on the streets of contemporary Cairo, the palm crate is the most abundant and widely used container in Egypt. It functions as a simple fruit and vegetable crate, a birdcage, a chicken coop, and a display table. It is used in markets, as a storage vessel, and as transportation basket. It is hung on bicycles, and carried by donkeys and camels. It is a vessel that contains not only the products it carries but also its own rich cultural histories and meanings.

Palm crates are made from the midrib of the date palm – a tree that has been prized and cultivated since antiquity. Palm crate making is an artisanal craft that is labour-intensive and slow. Each hand-made crate is similar, but also profoundly unique in its dimensions and grid. This reflects a wabi-sabi aesthetic of imperfection, transience, and incompleteness.

With the changing economic patterns in most date-producing countries, including increased labour costs and scarcity, palm crate making has diminished. The traditional crates are being replaced with plastic ones. The Palmcrate furniture series seeks to reinterpret and reuse the typical crate, collaging it with other materials while maintaining the purity of its original form and design.

The product line uses four categories to define the type of products created: stack, lift, hang, and array. Each product line, from bookshelves to tables, responds formally to a unique combination of categorical ‘commands.’