Cwtch.

Category: Furniture

Furniture contributes not just to functionality of a space but to contentment and safety, the soft invitation of a well-loved chair or the warming glow of a wooden table. We find a sense of order and personal identity upon entering the room, not forgetting finding solace and security through our belongings. 'To be welcomed home by your furniture'. This has been my mantra throughout this make. My aim was to design a piece of furniture that feels 'homely' and I wanted to bring this 'homely' feeling with my piece. My aesthetic inspiration has stemmed from traditional Scandanavian design. Traditional Scandanavian design is effortlessly designed, beautifully handcrafted and using honest materials. I felt this matched my desire to create homely furniture. I wanted to create a simply designed furniture piece and marry this with responsible design, using new sustainable materials, I practiced hand craft techniques, bringing a touch of heritage and tradition to this modern make. Creating a timeless collection with features recognisable of this design style. I feel I have achieved the perfect visual balance on the eyes using the warm oak grain contrasting boldly with the walnut dowels and again contrasting but working effortlessly with the lighter colour of the wool. Simplicity sits at the heart of this design. A nod to subtle detail is often found amongst scandanavian inspired furniture. I have tried to include subtle details like these in my work. For example the placement of the dowel joints on my piece. My first creative decision was based around choosing to display the dowel joints, making them exposed on the eye. Once I had decided upon this, I decided to place them on a diagonal, not only to add structural integrity to the joint but to create simple beauty. The softness of the wool contrasts with the rigidity of wood. The wood, a sturdy frame, effortlessly balances and grounds the fluidity of wool as a material. Exploration into new sustainable materials is at the forefront of this design. I became fascinated with sheeps wool and began to experiment with its properties. Wool is such a versatile material with numerous amazing properties: Elasticity, this becomes important within the seating application as it will compress when sat on to from a firm base and then spring back when pressure if removed to leave the piece looking brand new. Fire resistance, this is an amazing property to shout about when putting this piece into a domestic setting. Thermal insulation, not something that someone would consider being useful in a seating application, however upon sitting on my bench you can feel the heat radiating underneath you, which leaves you with a warming seat. Filteration, Wool will naturally purify the air surrounding you, the fibres can absorb moisture and harmful toxins to naturally purify your room. All these amazing properties lend themselves to my furniture range cwtch. Not only to mention the soft quality to allow you to enjoy a comfortable seat. Wool is such a natural resource with approximately 30 million sheep sheared yearly in the UK, this number shows the amount of wool that is available as an incredible resource. Sheep shearing has to happen as a natural process to keep the sheep happy and healthy, during the summer months. These figures prove the renewability of sheep wool. In my furniture collection I have used two different types of woollen material. I have used a thick pure breed welsh mountain sheep. This wool is very thick and hardy as it protects the sheep from the elements. The woollen fibres on the inside however are very fine and feels incredibly soft, this is what would sit next to the sheep's skin to keep them warm. This is a very smooth textured material and this is what you will see is used on the bench piece. This wool is particularly effective not only colour contrasting with the wood and dowel joints but also adding many properties that make the seat comfortable and inviting. I have also used a mixed wool, this is made from several waste materials that are taken and combined to form the new fabric. This wool is usually discarded from the industry producing wooden cardigans for example. This material is very textured and adds lots of variation in colour. Due to the nature of how the material is manufactured and the different types of wool that goes into it, there isn't any way to control the output meaning there is uniqueness between every piece. Elegant sweeping loops of wool adds a sense of invitation and warmth. Comfort is at the heart of the story, effectively achieving this has allowed for total consumer relaxation and comfort. Keeping sustainable materials at the forefront during the making process, this collection has remained stripped back to allow the core features to speak for themselves. An appreciation for honest, sustainable material celebrates the reclaimed wood and wool creating a cohesive clean design. My pieces are made simply from two materials, wood and wool. The oak wood I made use of during this project, I reclaimed. The woods former life was as an oak dining table. This had been around for many years and finished in a traditional dark oak shiny stain. When I began to disassemble and return the oak to it former glory, I realised the wood underneath was still in incredible condition and it was put to great use within this project. I have mentioned the amazing properties that natural sheep wool has and not to mention the amazing renewability of this as a resource. Approximately 30 million sheep are sheared yearly in the UK, this number shows the amount of wool that is available as an incredible resource. sheep shearing has to happen as a natural process to keep the sheep happy and healthy, these figures prove that renewability of sheep wool.