Made from used skateboard, the creations of Canadian design studio Adrian Martinus can be found in Taittinger’s concept store “Chromatique”.
Trained carpenters and avid skateboarders, it was in 2012 that the two brothers Adrian and Martinus Pool launched the Adrian Martinus studio, where they create furniture and interior objects from a material they could then source in quantity: used skateboards. These boards are composed of layers of wood and fiberglass, offering a particular texture and resistance. The result is high-quality products that push the boundaries of conventional woodworking, while paying homage to their roots: the skateboarding community.
Not confining itself to a simple ecological approach, the Adrian Martinus studio places innovation and aesthetics at the heart of its work, earning it the Grand Prix Etsy Design Awards in 2020 for the “Stackton” piece of furniture, whose doors, sliding along a curved track, feature a marquetry made from fine colored strips cut from skateboards.
We asked a few questions to Adrian and Martinus Pool, the two brothers behind the studio, later joined by Adrian’s wife Anna Pool.
What are the main qualities of skateboards when it comes to making design objects?
Skateboards are made from 7 layers of dyed daple veneer that are laminated into the skateboard form. After they have been broken or used up we break them down and build them back up into usable components in our woodworking. The dyed layers make for a very unique aesthetic that is always changing depending on the types of boards we are using and the way we design their layout.
How has your approach evolved since the studio was founded in 2012?
When we first started most of our items were made from a single skateboard. Soon after that we made a baseball bat that combined material from multiple boards and that unlocked the possibilities of the skateboards to us. Now we combine the skateboards with other wood in our furniture pieces, taking a more fine woodworking / mid century modern inspired approach to our designs.
Could you tell us about one creation that represents a tour de force in the use of skateboards as a raw material?
I think that our furniture is definitely where we are pushing the boundaries with the material. Our Stackton Credenza with it’s skateboard tambour doors is our most popular design and has won us an international design award. Our R5 coffee table with its skateboard top bent around a curve really pushed the boundaries on what is possible with the material and this year we made an almost 5 meter long conference table.
What are your plans for the future?
Our main goal is to just keep working with clients and designers to continue making the highest quality furniture we can, experiment with different techniques, materials and finishes and keep pushing the limits of what’s possible with recycled skateboards.
