Nicu Ivănescu makes a playground out of bark, roots and abandoned wood at Valea Zânelor

Recovering wood every chance you get, not wasting it, trying to use as much as you can from a tree are acts of responsibility and a way of protecting natural resources and the planet. We have always promoted such examples and here we do it again. It's the new playground at the Lut Castle in Fairy Valley. You may be familiar with the place, even if you haven't been there yet. You probably remember home-bar, built there by Nicu Ivănescuwhich I wrote about a while ago. The playground is also made by Nicu. His habit of using for his projects wood bypassed by others and his atypical constructions caught our attention again.

Abandoned beech, old and far too scorched

„Two years ago I was walking along the Sadului River and saw the log from which I had made almost the entire base of the playground. It was abandoned by a company that operated fag because it was very barren and thick. After a while, the owner of the Lut Castle told me he would like a playground and I immediately thought of the redwood. I found out which company was logging and bought it." 

This is how Nicu begins the story of the new playground. He has been sending me photos ever since he started work. I liked the idea and asked him to let me know when it's finished. "I finish tomorrow!" - was the message a few days ago, accompanied by some photos. I really wanted to see how it turned out and I was as happy as a child when I saw the little houses, the slide, the galleries and what else he imagined for the children who will play at Fairy Valley.

The beech tree was the basis of all the work. The large size - from 170 cm in diameter at the thickest part to 130 cm at the 'thinnest' part - and the hollow inside were very appealing in creating a challenging place for the little visitors. Before being used, the beech was hosed down and then 'hardened' with sodium silicate, a natural solution well suited to keep cavities at bay and stabilize wood weakened by age, damp and mould.

A month's work for a fairytale place

He worked for about a month to get to the stage where the landscaping can be used. The playground consists of a zip line, a little house suspended on a piece of log, net and climbing board, swinging bridge, a little house made from an overturned log, two den-like galleries and a slide. A swing and a seesaw follow.

The structure of the perched cottage was made of oak and closed with pine planks. The roof, both hers and that of the upturned log, was covered with shingles of molid. For protection as well as coloring and highlighting the wood design, the shingle was burned with a gas burner and then brushed. Everything needs to be protected with oil, but he hasn't done it yet. He's waiting for it to first take on the natural gray tint of weathered and weathered wood, then it will be protected on the outside as well.

Almost everything was worked with his favorite tool, chainsaw. When you watch the movie at the end, you'll get the feeling that for him, too, all this work was all play. He has a special joy in working on something he likes. In fact, he only works what he likes. He doesn't accept work if he doesn't like it or if he's not left to do it himself.

"I use what others throw away"

Bark, roots, abandoned wood, this is the raw material mostly used by Nicu. The "healthy" wood of walnut (his favorite), oak, pine is used just to put them together and give strength to the work.

"I pretty much use what others throw away, what others reject. Maple rots by the side of rivers or roadsides, no one wants it for fire. When I find a wood with a particular shape, I take it, no matter what the essence. About 70% of my works are made from dead trees, already fallen or those cut down by owners for various reasons. Most of the time my ideas come from wood I already have. I don't execute, I create."

He has the same theory for the furniture he makes. It's an interesting combination of folk and rock, furniture that at first glance is rustic, but much more elaborate, with combinations of simple metal and string elements. He obviously loves wood and wants to show off its beauty. Wood that has been hollowed by old age is transformed into a mirror frame, tabletop or bedside table. What others throw away, he saves by giving it a new life. That's what happened to the old beech. He saved it, cleaned it and turned it into a children's friend.

If you are curious to see his work you can find it on Xylino on Facebook or personal account. Xylino is the name of the company and how they characterize their work. In Greek, xylino means wooden.