Smooth Bo Nordh, Dunhill, Sixten Ivarsson, and Jørn Micke Tribute Cherrywood with Corian (Narcissus) Tobacco Pipe

Every pipe maker draws influence from those who have come before them or even from artists or objects in completely unrelated fields. For 2025's Global Pipe-Making Exposition, carvers were asked to craft a pipe honoring a pipe maker who is no longer with us. Some artisans elected to craft a specific shape from a certain maker, while others opted to blend a certain maker's signature design cues with their own creative process. Chris Asteriou decided to combine shaping aspects from four different makers, binding them into one cohesive composition. A forward-curling Cherrywood design, this piece incorporates elements from Bo Nordh, Dunhill, Sixten Ivarsson, and Jørn Micke.

Asteriou looked to Bo Nordh's iconic Ballerina shape when shaping the bowl of this pipe: In the same way that the Ballerina's bowl arches forward in line with the briar's cross grain, so too does this piece. It's a more cylindrical, Poker-like motif, though, than the Ballerina, hinting at Dunhill's Don shape. Like the Don, this piece features an abbreviated shank with a domed end into which fits a longer stem via a military mount — in this case fashioned from pale Corian. Asteriou's third and fourth elements of inspiration are both revealed at the rim: It slants at an asymmetrical angle as seen on many of Sixten Ivarsson's Nefertiti designs, and the crisp "seam" dividing the rim pays tribute to Jørn Micke's ever-famous Erotique shape.

While each of these elements is distinctive in its own right, they all combine together to create an artful shape all its own — all four pipe makers "bonded" together, which Asteriou playfully refers to as "BDSM," taken from the makers' initials: Bo, Dunhill, Sixten, Micke. The pipe's inventive design is matched by a gorgeous array of grain that beautifully aligns with the shape's lines, and it's earned Asteriou's superlative Narcissus grain, cementing it as among some of his finest pieces.