The Nottingham-based Mac Collins is an emerging British artist and designer, who recently won the 2021 London Design Festival Emerging Design Medal. Since graduating in Three-Dimensional Design from Northumbria University, Newcastle, in 2018, Mac has worked on a number of furniture pieces and objects, which draw on his Jamaican heritage for their inspiration. With an aesthetic and a narrative that reverberates, Mac’s creations are often cited as artefacts for their cultural relevance and considered quality.

@maccollins__

Both Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen are artists, so it’s no surprise that their collection sits somewhere between design and art. It’s obviously ‘furniture’ but the emphasis is not completely about function and suggests different ways of living and using space. The Muller Van Severen collection invites participation – the chopping boards and trivets are wall sculptures that adapt to a functional role and change in appearance with use; the double facing seat only achieves its potential with use – two people engaging and perhaps forming new ideas. The process of ‘designing’ appears to be more like a conversation and an evolution of ideas, with one finished product inspiring the next – which makes the collection work so well as a whole.

Muuto is rooted in the Scandinavian design traditions of enduring aesthetics, functionality, craftsmanship and an honest expression. By expanding this heritage with forward looking materials, techniques and bold creative thinking, their ambition is to deliver a new perspective on Scandinavian design. In fact the name Muuto comes from muutos, meaning new perspective in Finnish. They handpick leading contemporary designers who share the Muuto philosophy and then combine their talent with the passionate Muuto creative team. You’ll know a Muuto design because it has muutos. Objects made sublime through new perspectives, enjoyed across the world, representing the best of Scandinavian design today.

Danish design brand, NORR11, craft pieces from natural and textural materials such as oak, ash, leather and rattan in a neutral colour palette to create their sophisticated and sculptural designs.

The Copenhagen-based design team draw inspiration from nature and Asian aesthetics, both of which heavily influence the brand’s furniture and lighting design. A commitment to sustainability means materials are responsibly sourced and a zero-waste policy is strived for in production. The pieces are built to last; the company’s goal is for them to be passed down through generations, becoming the design classics of tomorrow. Functionality, comfort and longevity are at the core of NOR11’s design sensibility, bringing personality and timelessness to modern interiors. 

@norr11

Simon and Monica Cass make up the design partnership behind par-avion co. Their experience in furniture making and architecture create the foundations for their designs, and their practice is based around an ethos that holds good quality and affordability at its heart. Their pieces are timeless in style, and built to outlive fashions and fads – they are creations to keep for lifetimes.

par-avion co. combine traditional crafts with contemporary design and utilise a host of skills, including furniture making, wood turning, basket making, seat weaving, wood carving and pottery. Their dedication to preserving the environment ensures that all the materials they use are natural and renewable, with their makers in each region selected for both their quality of work and their environmental impact.

@par_avion_co

PINCH is led by husband and wife partnership, Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon. An established British design studio, it is celebrated for its consistently high-quality and genre defining furniture. Their dedication to craft and process is evident in their products, characterized by a quiet and elegant aesthetic. Russell and Oona describe their work as ‘authentic’ and ‘thoughtful’. They believe in poetic design, making beautiful things, pieces that endure, inspire and aspire to be inherited. PINCH is run from their studio and showroom in Clapham, London. Whilst most pieces are held in stock, PINCH also offer bespoke alterations to many of their designs on request.

SCP was founded in 1985 by Sheridan Coakley as a manufacturer and retailer of modern furniture. Inspired by the designs of the Modern Movement, Coakley decided to start selling classic and hard to find pieces, while trying his hand a producing new designs in the same spirit. Nearly three decades on, SCP remains true to its founding idea, to make and sell design products that are functional, beautiful and made to last.

In 1986, SCP exhibited for the first time at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. On show were the first ever manufactured designs by Matthew Hilton and Jasper Morrison. Since that point, SCP has continued to develop new products every year. Employing the rich talents of designers that include Terence Woodgate, Konstantin Grcic, Michael Marriott, Russell Pinch, Robin Day, Donna Wilson, Alex Hellum, Kay+Stemmer, Reiko Kaneko, Lucy Kurrein, Timorous Beasties, PearsonLloyd, Rachel Whiteread and Peter Marigold.

Sebastian Cox is a furniture designer, maker and environmentalist based in South London. Founded in 2010, his design studio holds an acute dedication to sustainability at its heart, elevating carbon counting, forward thinking and zero waste as the principal components in all they do.

Sebastian Cox harvests and mills his own British timber, respectfully updating traditional techniques with innovation and technology to create beautiful heirloom furniture, lighting and home accessories. The studio has a clear mission: to store 100 tonnes of CO2 in the wooden objects they make each year; and to double the area of woodland and wild land in the UK by 2040 through the careful management of their woodland resources in Kent.

Sebastian’s appreciation for woodland began from an early age; he grew up surrounded by it and his parents restored timber-framed buildings for a living. With his upbringing as a foundation, he went on to study Furniture Design and Craftsmanship, followed by a Masters Degree in Design, at Lincoln University. It’s here that he developed an instinct for abundant and overlooked materials.

Sebastian has been labelled as one of the most influential designers in London by the London Evening Standard and listed amongst Forbes’ 30 under 30 to watch. His work has received a Design Guild Mark alongside other accolades from design publications including Elle Decoration, Homes & Gardens and EKKB.

@sebastiancoxltd

Robert Stephenson founded Sedilia in 1998, as a bespoke furniture-design and -making business that cut through the popular pre-fab trends of the time to focus on purity and quality. With over 20 years experience working on commissions for some of the best interior designers out there, Sedilia continue to celebrate the elegance of the essential by blending timeless design and innovation with edge, ease, balance and proportion.

Sedilia launched their own collection of furniture in 2019, which includes the ‘curvaceous croissant of indulgence’ – the Roll Top Chair, and the Sennen Sectional, which is designed to be a striking centrepiece. All of Sedilia’s designs take comfort as seriously as style, and combine a traditional approach with modern making methods to ensure long lasting results.

@sedilia_london

Founded in 2001 by designer and academic Ilse Crawford, Studioilse is a multi-disciplinary London-based design studio that places human emotion front and centre of everything it does, be it furniture and product design, or interior-scaping for private and commercial clients.

Crawford’s illustrious design credentials include the editorship of Elle Decoration – a title she founded in 1989 – and a stint as Vice President of Donna Karan Home. She set up her own firm to create spaces for clients that include Soho House, Electric Cinema and Aesop, as well as product collaborations with IKEA and Bolon. Crawford is also the founder of the Man and Wellbeing department at the Design Academy Eindhoven in Holland, and has written several books: Sensual Home (1997), Home is Where the Heart is? (2005) and more recently A Frame for Life (2014) – all exploring the idea of interior design rooted in one’s experience of a space, rather than simply what looks good in a room together.

The AU was founded by UK-based interior stylist, Anna Unwin, as a curated resource of beautiful, one-off interior objects, lighting, textiles and furniture. The collection includes antique, mid-century and vintage items, each chosen due to their distinct design or idiosyncrasy. Some pieces are rare, some totally unique, and most are handcrafted using age-old skills that have passed through generations. All are sustainably sourced, balancing ethical and environmental considerations with Anna’s refined aesthetic.

As an interior stylist, Anna has worked for Aucoot Design Directory favourites Bauwerk Colour and House of Grey.

@anna.unwin

Founded by Alfred Newall, the London and Sussex-based cabinet makers The London Workshop specialise in designing and making historically inspired furniture using traditional joinery methods, with particular attention paid to proportion, functionality and longevity.

After training at the Building Crafts College, Newell took up a post at hallowed kitchen makers Plain English for two years, where he finessed his alchemic talent for transforming blocks of wood into beautiful pieces of furniture. He then set up his own practice in 2010 and continues to design bespoke, freestanding and fitted furniture for both private and commercial clients, using sustainably sourced materials. Last year saw him launch his first collection with The New Craftsmen – a selection of colourful tables in signature bobbin style, each one hand-turned on a traditional wood lathe. Other, simple items – such as bath racks, chopping boards and library steps – are stocked at Labour and Wait and LASSCO. Newall, a Brother of The Art Workers’ Guild, credits most of his inspiration to the Arts and Craft movement, and aims to replicate the simple, vernacular style with his own designs.

@alfrednewall

The New Craftsmen works with a selection of Britain’s finest craft makers to showcase the materials, skills and craft products of the British Isles. Founded in 2012 in Mayfair, London, The New Craftsmen currently represents a network of over 75 makers working in textiles, silverware, furniture, ceramics, jewellery, glassware and beyond. They represent a vision of sustainable, real luxury, expressed through dedication to makers, materials, method and design

They sell a carefully selected range of products and limited editions, forging collaborations with designers and makers to give a contemporary take on specific skills and materials. This enables customers, interior designers and architects to customise, commission and collaborate with them, developing bespoke pieces.

Tom Raffield founded his eponymous company in 2008, just after completing his degree in 3D Sustainability & Design. Having discovered the traditional, age-old technique of steam bending wood over his studies, he was determined and eager to put it to use, creating intricate curves and pleasing twists that mimic the organic shapes found in nature – Tom’s primary source of inspiration.

Today, Tom Raffield Ltd’s team of designers and craftsmen hand make lighting, furniture, accessories and spaces, all from the company’s Cornwall base. The remastering of this ancient craft for modern times leads to low levels of wastage, and negates the need for toxic glues. And, a deep understanding of both material and process means that the studio’s attitude to creativity is both broad and exciting.

Sustainability provides a further, central tenet for Tom Raffield Ltd, as their ethos sees it as integral to good design. Pieces are built to last and to be used through generations, and the efficiency of the steam-bending process means less waste is produced and less energy is used. The company recently became members of the WWF 2030 Circle to support the Trillion Trees programme.

@tomraffield

Founded in 2011 by James Hoy and Alan Drumm, Uncommon Projects is not a traditional joinery company. Their bespoke furniture is made from high-quality hardwood veneered plywood – all designed and crafted in London. Both men come from very different creative backgrounds – James studied Fine Art and worked in toy design and Alan spent 14 years as an architect, but it is these differences that come together to create their unique and distinct style – informed by an honest approach to materials, functionality and visual balance.

Creating innovative products and concepts with great designers is Vitra’s essence. They are developed in Switzerland and installed worldwide by architects, companies and private users to build inspirational spaces for living, working and shopping as well as public areas. A family business for eighty years, Vitra believes in lasting relationships with customers, employees and designers, durable products, sustainable growth and the power of good design.

Vitsœ stands for the inordinate power of good design in everything it does: designing thoughtfully, responsibly and intelligently for the company, its furniture and the many people who share a profound interest in all of our tomorrows.

For more than half a century Vitsœ’s aim has been to produce simple, timeless furniture that will not only encourage you to use and reuse it but will also impel us to invest continuously, to our mutual long-term benefit.

Dieter Rams has worked continuously for Vitsœ since 1959 – still improving his designs to this day – and is often cited by a new generation of designers as a key influence on their work that is shaping the 21st century.

WoodEdit was founded by husband and wife team, Paul and Maria Le Mesurier, to create timeless, hand-crafted wooden furniture for the home that’s built to last. Based in the bucolic South Downs in West Sussex, each piece is hand-made to order by Paul in his workshop. Creative Direction is headed up by Maria, who designs and styles the furniture, allowing the pleasing simplicity of the items to shine through. WoodEdit have built their business around a deep-rooted respect for nature, simplicity and authenticity. Each piece can be crafted from carefully considered selection of responsibly sourced wood types – ash, walnut or oak – and can be created to a bespoke size to suit any home.

@woodedituk

London-based workshop Woodsmith build and install beautiful bespoke kitchens and fitted furniture using sustainably sourced materials and high quality fixtures and fittings. Established by Duncan Crockford, the company are committed to the responsible use and management of wood resources, and support the World Land Trust by planting a tree for every completed project.

Woodsmith designs are pleasingly functional, responsive to the spaces they occupy and the usage needs of the client. Each is totally bespoke, making the best use of space whilst never compromising on good design.

A considered collection of materials is employed to realise the Woodsmith standard. For example, the Gospel Oak project (designed and lived in by Neave Brown) combined birch plywood with bespoke beechwood handles and frames, as well as reeded glass for the drinks cabinet, a concrete-look Caesarstone quartz worktop, and Fenix NTM laminate for the lower cupboard doors. (Images one to three below)

@_woodsmith_workshop