A centrepiece with a twist
Recently we had the pleasure of working on this incredibly special commission for a bespoke fireplace for a beautiful ‘Waterside’ project, a contemporary home designed by architects and interior designers Randell Design Group and built and managed by King & Drury Construction.
A number of craftspeople were invited to collaborate on various parts of the project, who all set about meticulously designing, producing and installing bespoke pieces to make this home truly one of a kind.
“Ed took our unusual brief, refined it and turned it into a gorgeous centrepiece. We are very happy with it and are receiving many compliments. Thank you very much, Ed and Team.”
– Client
The Project Brief
The brief was to design and make a centrepiece fireplace to house a water vapour fire. The fireplace was to also function as a space divider between the lounge and the dining area.
The Design
We knew that the client was keen to have a sculptural piece. We also knew that we had the freedom to be experimental which always makes a project instantly more exciting. Ed worked on several iterations of the design before working it up to its final form.
It started as a curved piece with a smooth timber wave detail running through a reeded timber. However, it was the wave element that became prevalent in the design, and this was pushed through its paces with sketches, CAD drawings and maquettes.
The resulting design was extraordinarily complex with the underside taking on the form of a compound curve.
The Making
The making of the fireplace went through multiple processes and stages taking approximately 250 hours from start to finish. The cabinet was made in European walnut with a lacquered finish.
Although this piece was challenging and unique, Ed is very well-versed in working with complex curves, waves and ripples. Forever the innovator, the making process was tweaked slightly from his Ripples Collection pieces – relying on his and his team’s skill and experience to achieve the desired effect.
“The complex curves certainly presented a challenge but both Andy and I loved working on it, and we were really pleased with the final install.”
– Ed Johnson
The Installation
We collaborated closely with King & Drury to ensure a smooth installation process. We all needed to be clear from the outset about how the services were brought to the piece to feed the vapour fire. We also had to consider the foundation: ensuring that threaded bar was fixed into the concrete footing set underneath the finished floor to provide rigid stability.
As with all our freestanding furniture Edward’s silver hallmarked maker’s mark was embedded into the piece.
Behind the scenes
King & Drury Construction and Randell Design Group commissioned the wonderful video below, where Edward speaks about his work and this project in more detail.
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