High-strength yet lightweight, resistant to warping or breaking, plywood is a true floor-to-ceiling multitasker. While typically used as an underlayer, we’ve lately seen it embraced in the design zeitgeist as an unexpected cladding, lending a down-to-earth, utilitarian appeal to sophisticated spaces and artful furnishings.
In designer Marshall Neve’s Chinatown apartment, sheets of plywood cover the less-than-pristine original walls and ceilings, creating a clean slate that’s ideal for hanging art. A custom Donald Judd—inspired plywood daybed fits right in.
KEVIN KERR-
Plywood closet doors nod to the hardworking roots of a converted carriage house in the Netherlands, adding warmth to simple white-painted walls and floors.
RENE VAN DER HULST/LIVING INSIDE -
A sensuously curving staircase highlights the individual layers of stacked birch plywood sheets in an Aberdeen, Scotland, home by Brown & Brown Architects.
JIM STEPHENSON
Pamela Shamshiri channeled R.M. Schindler in creating this beautifully crafted plywood bathroom in his 1947 Lechner House. A slight sheen adds a luxe note.
ANTHONY COTSIFAS-
A dilapidated shack on the Sonoma County property of designer Charles de Lisle received a fresh update with sheets of plywood covering just about every surface—even the refrigerator.
ERIC PETSCHEK -
Plywood is more cozy than austere when paired with vintage wicker furniture in de Lisle’s cabin. The natural grain creates an almost psychedelic pattern when individual panels are arranged together on the walls.
ERIC PETSCHEK
Designed by Geneva-based Leopold Banchini Architects, this striking home on the banks of the Marramarra Creek in Australia was constructed entirely of repurposed materials, including the turpentine timber—originally used for a jetty—that lines the main living area.
RORY GARDINERSHOP THE LOOK
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F6 Counter Stool by FN Furniture
$435, fnfurniture.com
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Moon Divider by Ana Volante
$7,100, 1stdibs.com
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Cowrie Chair by Made in Ratio
From $4,620, thefutureperfect.com
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Molded Plywood Coffee Table by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller
$1,395, dwr.com
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Kolho Chair by Matthew Day Jackson for Made By Choice
$1,481, madebychoice.com
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Pitagora Copper Stool by Antonio Saporito for Travertini & Pietre
$1,160, artemest.com
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F2 Lounge Chair by FN Furniture
$795, fnfurniture.com
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Origami Chair
$6,000, 1stdibs.com
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Front Shelf Chair by Donald Judd
$6,000, judd.furniture
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Ponti 969 by Gio Ponti for BBB
$859, designitaly.com
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Chaise Morelato by Mario Botta for Morelato
$2,900, artemest.com
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Nido Chair by Estudio Persona
$7,200, estudiopersona.com
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THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN VOLUME 12 OF FREDERIC MAGAZINE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!
