This week we’re taking a trip to the Sussex forest to talk shop with Ted Jefferis’, the brains and brawn behind design studio TedWood.
While his quirky style of design goes against the grain, Ted is a big believer in traditional craftsmanship and the use of naturally sourced British solid woods. Having made a name for himself at last year’s Clerkenwell Design Week, he has since worked with our partner UK woodland conservationists Grown in Britain and now launches his range of designer lighting at Heal’s.
The juxtaposition of contemporary silhouettes with hand crafted leather and oak make the HangUp range a perfect match for Heal’s. To find out more about Ted’s approach to their design we caught up with him and brand ambassador Humphrey the spaniel at his Sussex studio.
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Tell us about the first piece you ever designed?
I have been designing since I could pick up a pencil, however, my first fully formed design was the TipToe bench. It’s a play on proportions with fine tapered legs that look too fragile to support the hardwood top let alone two or three people. The design was an exercise in structure and understanding the limits of materials, a concept that has gone on to become the backbone of my designs
When did you decide you wanted a career in design?
Once I left school I took a cabinet making course at Chichester Collage. I relished the chance to craft but I always knew that I also wanted to be a designer so I enrolled on a degree at Oxford Brookes studying Interior Architecture. This allowed me to refine my designing skills and realise the importance of the relationship between a building, its interior and the furniture within it.
Where is your studio?
It’s in a village called Bosham on the south coast. After the Second World War my great grandfather bought bit of oak woodland by the water and built himself a house and a workshop. The idea was to build boats and make stuff out of wood – clearly an inspired plan! So much so that three generations later I still spend as much time as possible at his work bench.
“The idea was to build boats
and make stuff out of wood
– clearly an inspired plan!”
Tell us about your design process, how do you get started?
It all starts with an idea, then I try to get it down on paper sometimes in my sketch book or whatever I can find. In fact, my best ideas usually come from the back of old envelopes! Normally I won’t come back to the idea for a while but when I do I will try and make a prototype.
Do you have a preferred material or process?
Wood is without a doubt my first material and is what I am trained in. However, I love the freedom of working with other materials like leather and brass. I think that because I don’t know the conventional way of working with them it gives me more freedom.
Do you have a design hero that influences your work?
I think it has to be Charles and Ray Eames. It amazes me that they could move between furniture, architecture, film and whatever else they tried their hands at. I believe that moving between disciplines so elegantly shows complete control over design.
How would you describe your new lighting collection for Heal’s?
It is a marriage of my three favourite materials; leather, oak and brass. Each material has its own role that comes together through craftsmanship. Heal’s is our first stockist so it has been a steep learning curve for me but I always say the best way to learn is to get chucked in the deep end!
All images courtesy of Creative CoOp.