Pull out the drawer of a table and you rather expect it to glide out quietly and smoothly.
Not so with Norman Mackay’s coffee table, made from Scottish elm, and fitted with the internal workings of an accordion. You can hear it in the video below.
Norman, a graduate of the Chippendale International School of Furniture, runs Woodeye Furniture from incubation space at the School, and combines a woodworking career with life as a musician.
A Highlander by birth, Norman has played the button accordion from an early age and plays with Norman Mackay’s Ceilidh Experience, a fusion band that mixes up the traditional with modern rock.
Norman has appeared on radio and TV and a film for which he wrote music was featured at the Cannes Film Festival.
‘A diatonic reed block was used for the drawer’s “voice” and limited to two chords (one out and one in). After much thought, I decided to go for Amen. The only other options I could think of were the theme tunes to Jaws and Psycho, which I didn’t fancy much,’ says Norman.
His handcrafted table can be made to order, taking up to eight weeks to construct, and other musical furniture ideas are in the pipeline. Musical chairs, perhaps?