Knot Pine
Until early 2020, a Monterey Pine stood before Walsh Street. The tree was already mature when Robin Boyd bought the South Yarra plot in 1957 – formerly the sunken rose garden from the newly subdivided ‘Prineyeh’ estate.
It is well known, from his writings, that the architect and critic was firmly against the post-war weeding of Australia’s natural assets in favour of a European image. Boyd’s best-seller, The Australian Ugliness, devotes an entire chapter – ‘Pioneers and arboraphobes’ – to this lamentation. In designing his family home, Boyd opted to preserve much of the established vegetation – including the pine, Southern Blue Gum and Hackberry trees and built heritage remnants, such as the rubble stone retaining wall found on site. When Walsh Street was added to the
Victorian Heritage Register in 2007, Boyd’s decision to site the residence in a way that preserved the Pinus radiata was recognised, and the tree was specifically identified (“T1”) in the listing.
The pine’s death at 22 metres tall and its felled timber provide a valuable resource and an opportunity to consider its second life. Now milled, pine is commonly viewed as a ‘cheap’ or ’ugly’ material unsuitable for fine craftsmanship – to challenge this perception, the Robin Boyd Foundation commissioned furniture maker Alexsandra Pontonio to design Knot Pine, a seated solution for the timber supply. In designing and crafting Knot Pine, Alexsandra’s response honours the relationship between the heritage-listed tree and the architecture of Walsh Street.
You can view Knot Pine this Melbourne Design Week as part of the 100 CHAIRS exhibition.
100 CHAIRS
14 – 24 May
South Magdalen Laundry
Abbotsford Convent, 1 Saint Heliers Street
Further details and viewing hours.
Designed by Alexsandra Pontonio, Knot Pine is available to purchase in hardwax oiled Walsh Street Monterey Pine as an edition of 10.
We’re proud to be partnering with local furniture studio Dowel Jones who will be manufacturing the Knot Pine chairs in their Geelong workshop.
Knot Pine
66 (h) x 64 (w) x 70 (d) cm
$3600 inc gst.
Only 5 Knot Pine chairs remain.
For sales enquiries contact: josephine@robinboyd.org.au
50% deposit required.
Please note timber is a natural material and each chair will be unique.
Not suitable for outdoor use.
Delivery expected July 2026.
Delivery not included.
Funds raised will support and celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the Robin Boyd Foundation in 2025.
Photographs: Michael Pham.
Alexsandra Pontonio is an award-winning Melbourne-based furniture maker and designer, who creates bespoke pieces that are both contemporary in design and reflect a sensitivity to traditional woodcraft. Predominately made from wood her work emphasises timber’s intrinsic tactility and materiality. Alexsandra graduated with an Associate Degree in Design (Furniture) from RMIT University in 2015 after which she was the recipient of the Future Leader’s prize in Craft Victoria’s 2016 Fresh! exhibition, the VIVID Design Award, and the Tait Award for Design Innovation at Fringe Furniture. As she has established her practice, she has received high profile recognition for her work, including Wood Review’s Maker of the Year Awards in 2021 (Chests, cabinets and shelving) and 2020 (Overall runner-up) and as a finalist in the 2021 Victorian Craft Awards. Alexsandra has been involved in selected group exhibitions including David Clark’s ‘At Home – Modern Australian Design’, Government House, Sydney, Craft Victoria’s ‘Future Remains’, Melbourne, and the Salone Satellite, Milan.
Dowel Jones was founded by Adam Lynch and Dale Hardiman in 2014 after graduating from university together. Over the past ten years, They have grown the company from a small furniture studio helping furnish local cafes, to producing furniture, lighting and accessories now found in homes and interiors all across the world. Over the past decade, Dowel Jones have won numerous awards for pieces both nationally and internationally. Although appearing to be a furniture and lighting company, they also work on self-initiated pieces that explore concepts further in depth (such as a tattooed cabinet called Venena Arca and National Gallery of Victoria acquired bench Never Grow Up), and regularly organise events to support the local community of designers. Dowel Jones work with a large network of Australian and international manufacturers to produce products of as high quality as possible. Producing in local areas to their Geelong Warehouse: The timber factory and powder coating takes place around the corner, steel fabrication and upholstery is in Melbourne.