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After 35 years of collecting Tonga Doors and 15 years of making furniture with them, Bunny Mentz is well experienced in determining the best use for each door. The great variety of shapes and sizes, thicknesses, timber varieties and design panels tell him whether a certain door would be best be used, for example, as a bench, a coffee table, or simply displayed on an expanse of wall, either on it's own, or in a cluster of 3 or 4, subtly downlit with spots on the ceiling, or uplit from the floor. In the ethnic range, the door is the main attraction. The furniture designed around it therefore whilst borrowing from the tribesman's designs carved on the door itself, always endeavours to complement rather than dominate. For the Valley Forge's other, non-ethnic creations, Bunny Mentz has drawn inspiration from several of the great design epochs - classical, palladian, gothic, art nouveau, arts and crafts, art deco and minimalist, to name but a few. Again, a broad spectrum of items is made to fit in with every design preference. A good selection of well cut and kiln-dried hardwoods is always readilyavailable in Knysna, to suit most requirements. From dark chocolate brown Panga Panga (milettia stuhlmannii) to the red browns, such as Rhodesian Teak (baikiaea plurijuga) and African Padauk (pterocarpus soyauxii), through a plethora of honey brown varieties to the other extreme, the light straw coloured Obeche (triplochiton scleroxylon) from West Africa. Generally Bunny Mentz's unique creations combine these magnificent woods with hand forged steel and, in the case of the ethnic range, antique Tonga Doors. In all instances, ergonomics are of equal importance to the aesthetic considerations. Hand finishing is to the very highest standard of quality, thus ensuring that the end product provides a powerful visual and tactile experience.
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