THINK BIGGER

What THINK BIGGER is

THINK BIGGER is a handmade pen holder for the desk. It is made as intarsia in real wood veneer: two carefully chosen woods are cut precisely, fitted together and pressed onto a stable substrate. The pattern is not a printed picture and not a milled engraving; it is the material itself.

The name stands for an ambition: to treat a small desk object not as a mass-market item but as a piece of precise craft. Every edge, every joint and every face of veneer is visible within a few centimetres. Look at it closely and you see the character of the wood, the quality of the joints and the decisions of the maker, not machine tolerance.

The design

THINK BIGGER follows a clear geometry. A few strong shapes, crisp contrast and a calm overall composition make an object that reads completely on a small surface. There are no decorative flourishes or ornaments; the effect comes from the pairing of woods, how the areas are divided and the direction of the grain.

Intarsia works best on small objects when the pattern is drawn bigger than the surface seems to allow. A pattern that is too fine loses its effect up close. THINK BIGGER therefore relies on a few clearly defined contrasts that still read from the corner of your eye on the desk.

The grain direction is a deliberate decision on every piece. Whether the fibres run along the shape, across it or diagonally changes how the object looks in different light. That decision is made for each variant and each batch of veneer.

Why intarsia and not print or engraving

Printed, engraved or milled wooden objects have surfaces that were worked afterwards. The base is a neutral board or a blank; the pattern is applied, not built. Up close the difference shows: printed colour has a layer edge, engraving leaves torn fibres, CNC milling leaves tool marks.

In veneer work, the pattern is the material itself. The line between wenge and oak is a hand-fitted edge between two real sheets of veneer. Under a magnifying glass it shows no layer edge, only the structure of both woods directly side by side.

The pattern changes with the light. In raking light from the side, pores and the waves of the grain appear that fade in diffuse light. That liveliness is not a property of print or engraving; it is a property of real wood.

Precision on a small surface

A pen holder about 10 cm (4 in) across leaves little room for error. A joint that still looks respectable on a one-metre panel is visible up close on a 10 cm object. Edges that a large veneered surface can hide in its format are all on show on a small one.

For THINK BIGGER that means the whole process runs to the same standard as large veneer work, but on a surface where every deviation shows at once. Cutting and fitting has to be accurate to a tenth of a millimetre. Pressing must not let anything drift. Sanding has to keep the edge, not round it over. The result is either clean or visibly wrong; a precision object has no middle ground.

How the pairing of woods shapes the piece

THINK BIGGER comes in seven pairings of woods. Each one has its own character, its own colour temperature and its own visual tension. Choosing a pairing is therefore not just a matter of taste but a decision about how the object will look where it stands.

Lightness and contrast are the most important variables. Dark variants with a body of wenge or walnut carry more weight and look calmer from a distance. Lighter variants with oak or ash show the pattern more openly and bring out the detail of the grain. Neither dark nor light is better in itself; each suits a different desk and room.

Colour temperature affects how close the object feels to the room. Warm pairings with oak or walnut blend into warm settings with a lot of wood. Cool pairings with ash look more precise and modern.

The variants

Each variant is a decision about colour temperature and contrast. Here is an overview of their character and where they fit.

Wenge / oak and oak / wenge

The classic Reihax pairing, both ways round. Wenge sets a deep, almost black weight; oak brings warm lightness, a familiar figure and an inviting counterpart. The contrast is clear but not harsh, the colour temperature warm. With a wenge body the piece looks calm and heavy, with an oak body more open. Both suit a warm, analogue workplace.

Walnut / oak and oak / walnut

The softest pairing, and the richest in tone. Walnut brings warm, medium-dark browns with a lively figure; oak adds a familiar light figure at a similar colour temperature. The contrast is harmonious, the difference in lightness clear but not hard. It suits a warm, organic desk. The oil brings out the depth of the walnut and makes the contrast richer.

Walnut / ash and ash / walnut (dark)

The coolest pairing. Ash is, next to maple, the lightest wood Reihax uses, and cool in tone; next to the warm walnut it gives a clear difference in lightness and a contrast of warm against cool. With a walnut body the lettering stands light on dark, with an ash body dark on light. The pairing looks precise and modern and suits clean lines and light surfaces. The satin finish keeps the light character of the ash.

Ash / mahogany

The lightest ground with the warmest accent: a body of ash, with lettering and waves in red-brown mahogany. The pairing looks friendly and lively, less strict than the variants with wenge.

Darker versus lighter variants

Variants with a dark body of wenge or walnut look calmer in dim surroundings; pores and grain stay visible, but the object does not push itself forward. Variants with a light body of oak or ash are more present in bright, daylight-cool offices and make the pattern easier to read from a distance.

Finish and depth

Every THINK BIGGER variant gets the same finish: hard-wax oil, satin. How it looks still depends on the pairing, and it shapes both the visual depth and the feel of the finished object.

Oil deepens each wood's own colour. Wenge gains weight and its pores stand out more; walnut's warm browns and figure grow stronger; on oak and ash the oil stays more transparent but still adds depth. Because oil can shift the contrast between light and dark, the effect is best judged on a sample of the actual pairing.

The satin sheen matters most for the variants with ash: it keeps the cool lightness of the ash and avoids reflections that would flatten the pattern in side light. Reihax does not use shellac or lacquer; how they compare is covered on the pages about finishes for wood art and oil, wax and shellac.

Handmade versus mass-produced

Most pen holders in the shops are made of MDF, pressed wood, pressed bamboo or plastic. Their surface patterns are printed, stuck on or milled by CNC. The result is repeatable, but it has no character of wood.

THINK BIGGER is not different in size or weight. It is different in where every visible quality comes from. The contrast between light and dark is not paint; it is the difference between two real woods. The edge between them is not a printed line; it is a hand-fitted border between two sheets of veneer. The surface has no coat of clear lacquer; it is the wood itself, oiled and satin.

That difference matters most up close. A desk object is picked up, moved and seen from every angle. Under those conditions, THINK BIGGER shows how it was made by itself.

How Reihax builds THINK BIGGER

THINK BIGGER is made in small batches, usually two to five at a time (small-batch production). The laser cuts the pattern pieces straight from the design file. A knife takes care of straight edges and trimming; pieces cut with the knife get a printed paper template stuck on first.

Then the pieces are fitted by hand and taped together, one by one. Assembly and sanding are the steps that take Reihax the most time. The finished veneer faces are pressed onto the substrate with PVA wood glue in a veneer press. Depending on the piece, the substrate is raw particleboard, MDF, plywood or multi-ply board (substrates).

Sanding goes on until the surface is flat, the edges stay crisp and no dark dust is left in the pores of the light woods. The finish is the same on every variant: hard-wax oil in a satin sheen, two thin coats with a light rub between them with a fine abrasive pad (hard-wax oil). After that, dusting is all the care it needs.

Size

THINK BIGGER measures roughly 10 by 10 cm (4 by 4 in) and stands about 10 cm (4 in) tall. The exact size varies slightly between variants and batches; handmade objects do not hold industrial tolerances. The exact dimensions of the piece on offer are given on the sales listing.

Where to buy it

THINK BIGGER is available through selected marketplaces. Current availability, variants and shipping details are on the listings.

• Amazon: the listing will be linked here soon.
• CherryCut: see THINK BIGGER on CherryCut, where you can choose the pairing and see the price straight away. The listing currently shows shipping to Germany.

For special variants, larger quantities or gift wrapping, use the contact details given on the marketplaces.