To recap: this year’s Heal’s Discovers process is a little different to usual. Rather than waiting to see this emerging talent at graduate shows and design exhibitions, alongside every other retailer, Heal’s has gone direct to the place where the real action happens; into the workshops and studio spaces of Universities. My mission was to find an innovative design, with the potential to match Heal’s ethos of high-quality craftsmanship. I was looking for design that could potentially become a future Heal’s classic, which might remain in our collection for years to come. I feel that working with designers who understand and exploit the natural properties and potential of materials, as well as the manufacturing techniques available to them, is integral to creating a commercially viable design with longevity.
With this in mind it seemed natural to seek out the university courses with this same ethos at their heart. Utilising the expertise of the course tutors (they know their students best) I began the search for current and recently graduated designers, creating a shortlist of around five from each university. It was important to me to get a glimpse of where the next generation of designers work and are inspired and, more importantly, to talk to them face to face. So, once the shortlist was decided, I ventured out beyond the reach of the London underground and off around the UK.
First stop was not too far afield: Kingston University and their BA (Hons) Product & Furniture Design course. The course focuses on two key areas: conceptual creative thought and first-hand practical experience of materials and manufacturing techniques. The Students have access to a multitude of workshops and machinery, from CNC machines to a metal forge and ceramics room. The three-year course provides students with invaluable direct experience and understanding of materials and technologies (they even have a materials Library). For those who go on to create a career in design, this is extremely important. I soon discovered that the idea of ‘Intelligent Making’ is at the core of the projects undertaken here.
My next journey took me three hours out of London via GNER, past the Angel of the North into Newcastle to visit Northumbria University. The Design department is based on a six-year-old campus site with gleaming new buildings. Inside it’s no different; alongside the bandsaws and (very tidy) hand tools are 3D printers and computerised milling machines. I took the opportunity to see the studio spaces of all three years of the 3D Design: Furniture & Product course, meeting up individually with some of the 3rd year students as well as the PHD and Northumbria Designers in Residence participants. This is a fantastic initiative that offers the University’s support and facilities to help a select few to break into the design business. Many of Northumbria’s past DIR have gone on to become success stories – some have established design studios that have been part of past Heal’s Discovers. I was really impressed with the buzz of creativity and the enthusiasm with which the designers presented their projects to me. It was well past dark when I got back to London, but the day up north was well worth it.
My final journey took me into the historical heart of the furniture industry: High Wycombe. This area was most famous during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century, when many furniture factories were set up all over the town. Even though most of these companies have since declined, some Heal’s manufacturers such as Ercol still flourish here.
It seems that Heal’s Discovers 2014 had arrived just in time at Bucks New University, whose BA (Hons) Furniture course is one of several that have now been closed for future applicants; a decision that was met with much opposition. Thankfully the MA Art & Design Practice: Furniture Design and BA (hons) Furniture Design & Make, which are affiliated with City of Oxford College, still remain. Bucks New University is a mix of tradition and modernity from the mid-century style workshops to the brand new angular extensions that have popped up on site. After a tour of the huge workshops here, the shortlisted students each presented their designs to me. Mostly this was done in person, but some students living further afield shared their projects and vision via Skype! Each fully working prototype was available for me to touch and test out. It’s always good to see a idea that’s been physically realised, so this was incredibly valuable.
During these three visits I was shown a huge range of products, from lighting to furniture, which were showcased at all stages of the design process, from sketches to full-scale prototypes. With all my images gathered and the shortlisted designers’ presentations complete, the really hard task begins. It’s time to choose the finalists…
[ INSPIRATION ]
Behind the design
Furniture designer Sebastian Cox discusses why we need to start using British wood.
"The summer is over, and autumn’s here. Looking back, my favourite thing about the summer is the seasonal British-grown food I wait all year to eat - asparagus, strawberries, tomatoes and cherries top my list. I admit, I might very occasionally buy some Spanish tomatoes for a special dish but I avoid imported food as much as possible and I'd never touch air-imported Peruvian asparagus or Ethiopian fine beans.
I'm not the only one doing this. My local supermarket's tomato section provided me with some hard evidence this summer. More often than not, boxes of British tomatoes sat empty while the slightly cheaper Spanish alternatives were still very well stocked. This apparent consumer preference gives me a great deal of joy, and has come about because people have started to think about where their food has come from. Thanks Hugh and Jamie!
I believe this thinking should extend to everything we consume, not just food. Has it ever occurred to you that the wooden things in your house were most likely not grown in Britain, even though we have woodland dotted all over our little island? In fact, let’s take that question further – have you ever stopped to think about what your piece of furniture might have looked like as a plant sucking up CO2 and churning out Oxygen?
I think this question that needs to be asked more often. Not necessarily the one about imagining your furniture as trees, that’s my mind wandering, but the one about where it was grown. We need to start a conversation about British timber. And the person sitting us down, gravely telling us, ‘we need to talk’ is Ed Suttie, the founder and figurehead of Grown in Britain
This month they’re launching Grown in Britain Week to tackle these questions head on and give our forests a sustainable future. They’ll be launching the event at Heal’s flagship store on Tottenham Court Road on October the 14th and I’m so excited.
Not only will they make the essential introductions, connecting tree growers with wood users, they’ll encourage that essential conversation about where our timber comes from. In the way that Hugh and Jamie have done with our food. While I understand we can’t completely satisfy our huge appetite for wood with home grown produce, I’m hugely passionate about where the timber I use comes from and I’ve made a number of wonderful discoveries by being a fussy customer.
Do you know how b-e-a-utiful the most commonly occurring tree in London is when cut up for timber? London Plane has the most spectacular grain pattern and colour, yet is hardly known in contemporary furniture. Even the slightly better known British hardwoods such as Oak and Ash are, in my humble opinion, much more interesting that their American cousins. English Ash has a huge variation in colour ranging from purple to gold to white. Oak has pips, stunning wide flecks, and a range of browns that are too often overlooked.
And here’s the really great bit; the more we manage and use our woodlands for sustainable timber production, the better they become for wildlife and for growing future crops of wood. So don’t just stop at buying British grown fruit and vegetables, start asking where your timber comes from too."
Check out Sebastian Cox's furniture at Heal's.
Designed by Michel Ducaroy and released in 1973, Ligne Roset’s Togo sofa celebrates its 40th birthday this year. We asked the brand’s creative director, Michel Roset, to explain what makes this iconic design so timeless and unique.
Why do you think the Togo has been such an enduring success?
When Togo was created in 1973 it broke the ‘code’ of design. It was totally new, something that had never been seen before. Since then, it has become an icon, representing a time of radical change in the way we understand our living environment and the use of our furniture, the way we welcome friends and family in an informal way, the way we sit, read, and relax. Togo represents a liberation of lifestyle, aesthetics and comfort.
Has the Togo changed at all since 1973?
The comfort, concept and construction have remained the same with only some advances in foam technology adding to the Togo’s durability and comfort. Over the last 40 years only our most skilled upholsters have worked on the Togo as it demands a unique traditional skill for which the human hand remains irreplaceable, executing the precise movements that produce the famous folds which give each piece its character and personality.
Michel Ducaroy’s ground-breaking design must have seemed outlandish in the early 1970s. Was it considered a big risk at the time?
Michel Ducaroy was extremely close to the Roset family and shared our values and ambitions. As head of the design department he became the spearhead of change and innovation. At the time there was a quest for new seating concepts, encouraged by swift changes in in social attitudes.
The advent of new materials such as foams, quilting and thermoformed plastics drove Jean Roset and Michel Ducaroy to develop new production techniques. This quest for new designs, designers, materials and techniques has become the cornerstone of Ligne Roset and the driving force behind the company for the past 40 years.
How have you kept the Togo fresh and contemporary despite it having been around for 40 years?
The best designs are characterised by their ability to cross generations, time and age. The product itself is timeless and not linked to a specific fashion era. It shares the same qualities as a Le Corbusier recliner or a Charles and Ray Eames chair, which will remain timeless.
What is the most unusual fabric you’ve been asked to make it with?
The pixel fabric created by Cristian Zuzunaga was extremely interesting. This digital-meets-analogue pixel design was the perfect example of how the current and modern can be applied to a product as the Togo to make it as at home in the digital age as it was in 1973.
The Togo has appeared in a lot of notable places over the years. Where have you been proudest to see it?
I am a great lover of music, film and sport and some of my favourites are in the homes of Avril Lavigne, Lenny Kravitz, Thierry Henry and Gerard Depardieu. Looking at this list of names shows again how the Togo has crossed borders, generations and tastes.
The Balzac armchair is probably one of the most important pieces of furniture of the last twenty years. Permanently exhibited at London’s V&A museum, the chair’s reputation for innovative design is known the world over. Designed by Matthew Hilton and created by furniture manufacturers SCP, the Balzac was born out of Hilton’s observations on the way people actually sit comfortably in chairs – which is very rarely bolt upright. Handmade to order in Norfolk, skilled craftsmen at the SCP warehouse create the iconic armchair by using a solid beech frame, steel spring platform, duck foam seat cushions and rounded American oak legs to add the finishing touch. A true interior masterpiece, the Balzac has gone on to become the bestselling SCP chair of all time.
HEAL'S DISCOVERS
Ed Heritage
As part of this season’s Heal’s Discovers initiative, we’re delighted to introduce Ed Heritage, an award-winning UK-based designer whose signature style of clean geometry and playful details is reflected in the beautiful lamp he created.
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