An association of Cornwall's finest craft makers

Gendall, Simon
Wood

Helping to shape the nature of the built environment of the future is exciting and challenging. It may involve the repair/conservation of special older pieces of furniture or the pushing out of boundaries with new work.

Ever present in ones consciousness is the influence of the natural world, of cultural history mixed with imagined possibility.
The furniture designs of Alvar Aalto and Shiro Kuramata are special sources of interest. Gaston Bachelard or Bridget Reiley and other interests’ effect my composition of space, pattern and texture, and the values placed upon materials, or in box making for example, the relationship between inside and outside, between locks and memory. In chair making some of these influences may also be apparent.

The Carrek Chairs are archetypically leftfield. The two designs, armchair and side chair are design works in progress. The making technique is a result of problem solving in stages, over time. The curves are obtained by cold moulding, where layers of timber are pressed and shaped with glue around steel formers. This gives simple strong organic shapes. There are tiny but essential amounts of carbon and aramid fibre within the structures. Timbers such as oak, beech, cherry or maple, are some of the most suitable, in terms of character, resistance to wear and workability.