Ashfold

On weekends you'll find me at a cafe designing, latte in one hand, pencil in the other. When living in Sydney's suburb of Ashfield, the owners of my local cafe took an interest in what I was drawing. Conversations followed and a commission for bench seating was soon underway. ​

 

The starting point of my design process is to question what's been done before. On this occasion - why must we put up with uncomfortable flat bench seating? The obvious answer is to use a curved surface, however the budget did not allow for this labour intensive process. Instead I come up with the idea of a fold that was in essence a faceted curve. As I played with variations of this idea, I wanted the fold to not only noticed by one's backside, but also their eyes. By introducing a flat table at each end, I created a contrast between the flat and folded surfaces. The shadow created between the two adds a subtle elegance.

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The legs are spaced apart to allow the beam under to sit between the two blades of the seat. This additional line along the top surface creates further interest, as once the eye recognises this element, the mind wants to explore how the parts come together. It invites the observer to interact and move around the piece in order to understand the composition of parts; this is always a feature of my furniture. It stems from my architectural work, which I see as a choreography through space, via the defined paths of movement, created views and the allure of the materiality. 

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Made from Victorian Ash, for a cafe in Ashfield, I call this folded bench, Ashfold.

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Size - 2100 x 500 x 450h. Can be made to any size and in any wood you like. 

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To make an order, please send an enquiry for pricing via my contact page.