This box was made for Eun, my personal shopper at Nordstrom, who for more than ten years has helped me step out in style, a seemingly impossible task. She understands confusing directions, such as "Creative Formal," and can always find me the perfect combination of elegance, fun, and comfort.
Like me after a shopping spree, this box wears its elegance openly. Formal but fun. At the lid’s front edge rests a walnut bow tie, with tuxedo buttons marching down the front, anchored by a walnut pocket set into the face. From that pocket, a bloodwood square rises in two crisp points, folded like a handkerchief ready for the evening.
The lid is mahogany, warm and smooth, while hidden inside the base is bloodwood, grounding the piece with quiet richness. Two cufflinks serve as the front feet, playful and precise, while ebony feet at the back recall polished formal shoes. Inside, a liner of curly maple catches the light with subtle shimmer, forming both the interior and the lip that holds the lid snug. The fit is exact, as if tailored by hand.
In the end, "Creative Formal" is more than a box. It is a small reflection of trust, taste, and the quiet joy of being perfectly put together — a thank-you in wood for years of guidance in style.
Little Boxes Series, #24
This box was made for Eun, my personal shopper at Nordstrom, who for more than ten years has helped me step out in style, a seemingly impossible task. She understands confusing directions, such as "Creative Formal," and can always find me the perfect combination of elegance, fun, and comfort.
Like me after a shopping spree, this box wears its elegance openly. Formal but fun. At the lid’s front edge rests a walnut bow tie, with tuxedo buttons marching down the front, anchored by a walnut pocket set into the face. From that pocket, a bloodwood square rises in two crisp points, folded like a handkerchief ready for the evening.
The lid is mahogany, warm and smooth, while hidden inside the base is bloodwood, grounding the piece with quiet richness. Two cufflinks serve as the front feet, playful and precise, while ebony feet at the back recall polished formal shoes. Inside, a liner of curly maple catches the light with subtle shimmer, forming both the interior and the lip that holds the lid snug. The fit is exact, as if tailored by hand.
In the end, "Creative Formal" is more than a box. It is a small reflection of trust, taste, and the quiet joy of being perfectly put together — a thank-you in wood for years of guidance in style.
Little Boxes Series, #24
