Edward Johnson Furniture

12th September 2019

Edward Johnson’s work is the product of a deep understanding of his materials and the desire to explore its possibilities. His creative approach allows him to think outside of the box and push the boundaries of his materials. Edward describes his work as: ‘being led by a core desire to challenge and innovate’. Edward's designs are often conceptually based, but with form and function always at the fore. He perceives both beauty and usefulness in equal parts when designing and developing his ideas into thought-provoking, fluid and tactile forms. One of his principal aims is to challenge our understanding of what is possible, which he achieves through creative aptitude and his mastered ability to engineer in wood. Here we throw the spotlight onto his Ripples technique. Our Ripples concept in bog oak, ash, walnut and limed ash Ripples Collection: All our Rippled furniture is made using a unique technique that has been developed and perfected by Edward Johnson. The Ripples technique pushes laminating in a whole new direction with the principal intention to create elegant, clean and fluid forms which allow the materials to provide the detail. Inspired by the action of a stone dropping into water, Edward’s concept was to give the illusion of concentric ripples engulfing the entire form; bringing movement, life and softness to the surfaces. Edward spent many hours designing, refining and prototyping this technique to enable the successful crafting of this unique rippled effect in timber, fully exploring the constructional details and calculating the parameters and limitations of the material. Edward’s exploratory approach can be traced back to his university research, when he first began to explore different methods of bending and forming timber in three dimensions. Edward has been developing his techniques and methodologies ever since and this has led to his finely-honed and innovative techniques. The rippled concept can be applied to nearly any piece of furniture with any desired function, in almost any wood. This technique has been also been acknowledged by winning two prestigious Bespoke Guild Marks and the Wood Awards. 'Ripples' chest of drawers The Ripples chest of drawers is made from ash, with walnut, ash and cedar drawers. Dimensions: 140cm (w) x 95cm (h) x 45cm (d).Read more here. Ripples won the Wood Awards in 2013 – The UK’s premier award for excellence in design in wood. 'Bog Oak Ripples' chest The Bog Oak Ripples chest is made in 5000+ year-old bog oak with an interior of book-matched olive ash burr. Dimensions: 128cm (w) x 55cm (h) x 50cm (d).Read more here. The Bog Oak Ripples chest was awarded a prestigious Bespoke Guild Mark in 2016 (Guild Mark No. 460). 'Orbis' drinks cabinet The Orbis drinks cabinet is made in walnut with a quarter sawn oak interior and scorched oak base.Dimensions: 165cm (w) x 93cm (h), 54cm (d).Read more here. The Orbis drinks cabinet was awarded a prestigious Bespoke Guild Mark in 2016 (Guild Mark No. 458). 'Reflection' linen chest The Reflection linen chest is made from limed ash with an interior of book-matched olive ash burr. Dimensions: 127cm (w) x 48cm (h) x 47cm (d).Read more here. 'Splash' coffee table The Splash coffee table is made from light blue bird’s-eye maple and glass.Dimensions: 100cm (w) x 45cm (h) x 100cm (d).Read more here. <back to blog

Crafting innovative furniture

15th August 2019

Crafting innovative furniture for inspiring people: the essence of our business. A little over a year ago we were working hard on the development of our new website, not only its new design but its content. This can be an exciting and interesting exercise albeit challenging to really nail it – to really think about what we do, why we do it, and how we can best convey what we can achieve for our clients in a logical and visually pleasing way. Importantly, before we could even begin to think about the website’s design and navigation, we focused our energy on thinking about every aspect of the business, from our products, our philosophy & promise, our processes and, most essentially, how we convey our close working relationship with our clients to ensure we produce excellent outcomes and solutions. This is an ongoing process that requires constant reassessment and we are always working hard to fine tune our message and mission, to be concise about the essence of the business and how we define what we offer with clarity and vision. This ongoing research is not only relevant for our website, but for every aspect of what we do, from publicity materials, to customer services, to categorising our services clearly to enable our clients to make informed decisions. In a nutshell, we design and make exclusive, bespoke and limited-edition luxury furniture to provide you with quality, originality and choice. We create products for those who are looking for something truly individual. We offer seven services, each one culminating in a beautiful piece of furniture that has been expertly and exquisitely crafted. Whichever option our clients choose – we pride ourselves on our customer care and in everything we design and create. We also guide our clients every step of the way! 'Crafting innovative furniture for inspiring people' MADE & READY FURNITUREWe hold a selection of limited-edition furniture already made and ready for delivery. This often includes more affordable/smaller items from the Sussex Collection and occasionally Edward’s latest signature showpieces from the Signature Collection. This is ideal for those wanting to view and purchase something immediately. SUSSEX COLLECTIONThis is a selection of smaller limited-edition items, comprising of more affordable pieces. Each piece in the collection is made in our own workshop, with the same high-quality craftsmanship and attention to detail as any of the larger Edward Johnson pieces. SIGNATURE COLLECTIONWe offer a selection of Edward’s Signature Collection designs that can be tailored to your specific requirements. This option is ideal for those who like an existing signature design but would like it to meet their requirements without the premium cost and time commitment required to produce a totally new piece of bespoke furniture. BLUEPRINT COLLECTION The Blueprint Collection consists of Edward’s exploratory concepts that have been developed into initial designs but are yet to be finalised and put into production. The Blueprint Collection offers an exciting opportunity for anyone wishing to commission one of Edward’s more challenging and innovative creations. BESPOKE FURNITUREWe offer a flexible bespoke service where we tailor each piece to your specific requirements and lifestyle. We work with you to create a solid brief from the outset, and either start with a brand-new concept, or adapt one of our existing signature designs. EXCLUSIVE ONE-OFFWe offer an exclusive bespoke service for those clients wishing to commission a unique one-off design. This service is ideal for those who want exclusivity on a design. This service is as our bespoke option, but it attracts a premium due to the exclusive one-off nature of the pieces. SEASONED COLLECTIONIn the future you might move home, or your taste might change. Therefore, we provide a refurbish and re-sale service exclusively for our clients’ commissions. This secondary service is ideal for those who have commissioned a free-standing Edward Johnson design and wish to transfer custodianship. <back to blog

Family tree - heirloom boxes

19th July 2019

The story behind four special heirloom gifts The best commissions involve a creative and fluid interaction and understanding between the client and designer and this 'Family Tree' heirloom box project epitomises this process. Having previously commissioned Edward to make a chest of drawers and delighted with the outcome, our client asked Edward to consider designing four* gifts that would become heirloom pieces for her grandchildren. Starting with an open brief, it took a few months to finalise exactly what form this commission would take, during which time the basic concept was born: to incorporate the date of birth of three generations of the family within the design of our Murano veneer. The curved Murano pattern represents the annual growth rings of a tree, with the dark fumed oak core symbolising the year 1933, and the subsequent dark fumed oak lines marking each family member’s year of birth. Executed to an exceptional level of craftsmanship by our cabinet maker Peter, two boxes have been made in elm and two in walnut, each containing the same dark fumed oak inlay lines. Juxtaposed with the Murano, the end of the box was designed to represent the bark of a tree. Taking inspiration from traditional Hakone marquetry and Tunbridge ware, hundreds of tiny squares of end grain create a unique smooth pattern resulting in a striking visual contrast. Using a bespoke bearing mechanism, the boxes pivot from one corner enabling the lid to swivel open to allow access to a shallow upper tray, which also opens to reveal a deeper second tray that has an illusion line to the outside. *Our client was so delighted they’ve since commissioned an additional one for themselves! Family Tree - heirloom box <back to blog

Contemporary Luxury Furniture