William Warren » Furniture

upholstered sunray chair

William — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:50:42 +0000

This is an extremely comfortable arm chair for prolonged sitting. It is ideal for use in waiting areas or in places to relax, such as conservatories or librariarys.

The chair has a seat made from a single plank of Ash, carved into a comfortable bottom shape. Like the Sunray chair designed at the same time, the seat’s spindles all run into the lower rails of the chair, rather than the seat block, as they would in a traditional windsor chair. The back bow is formed by steaming long sections of green ash (not fully dried timber) before bending around a former.

The upholstery strips are jute webbing, which is a standard upholstery material, but normally hidden under springs, cushions and fabrics. In this chair the webbing is left exposed, woven in a three way pattern and joined to the lower rails and the upper bow.

This chair was designed during a weekend factory visit to Sitting Firm, a manufacturer of traditional windsor chairs near coventry, as an extension of the Bodging Milano project.

Please contact me directly if you are interested in buying one of these chairs.

sunray chair

William — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:46:33 +0000

The direct development from the chair originally made in the woods for the Bodging Milano project, this is a traditionally constructed windsor chair in ash, with a carved seat, spindles and a steam bent back bow.

The spindles in the back do not run into the seat block, but instead fan out from the lower back rail giving a sun rise effect. The top of the seat has nothing joining into it, allowing the curve back and seat to sit comfortably together without touching.

The chair can be used for dining as part of a set with the Sunray Table (not yet finalised), or used individually.

This chair is manufactured by Case and will be sold through the John Lewis department stores.

It will be launched at London Design Festival 2010

Bench of Nails

William — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:37:22 +0000

Designed in 2004 for a park in Clarkenwell, this bench plays with the fact that people will sit on anything. Even if it has originally been designed to keep people off.

Weave Stool

William — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:33:35 +0000

Inspired by traditional woven topped seating, this stool is made from four identical plywood forms that weave together to form the seat and legs. The stools are veneered in natural ash or black ash.

The stools were launched at the British Design Embassy during the Milan Design Festival in April 2009.

Potala Bracket Range

William — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:25:45 +0000

A sand-cast aluminium bracket that enables DIY enthusiasts to make a range of furniture themselves. The bracket can produce beds, benches, tables, wardrobes and cupboards and can either be used as a short leg on its own or as a bracket to hold a longer wooden leg at an angle of five degrees.

The Potala Palace in Tibet was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until he fled to India after the Chinese invasion in 1959. The palace is built with the walls angled at five degrees to help withstand earthquakes.

Siren Seat

William — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:52:56 +0000

A repaired Thonet chair with a new uphostered leather cushion. The base of the cushion has a small hole into which a siren whistle is fitted. When the seat is sat upon, the air help within the foam escapes through the whistle, creating a comic sound. It’s fun. Honest.

These seats were developed as a response to a brief generated through the group WC Franck.

photography by Ivan Coleman

Silhouette Chair ‘Victoria’

William — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:33:02 +0000

The ‘Victoria’ chair is the wife of ‘Albert’, the Silhouette chair that I designed for Trico in 2001. Both chairs are developed from the shapes of traditional English chairs and made in laminated plywood. The result is an elegant shape, which is aware of the chairs that have gone before it.

Victoria was launched at a solo show in Tokyo called ‘Lovable, Alternative Folk Design, during their design week in December 2007.

Link to chair on Trico’s website

Look Back Mirror

William — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:26:38 +0000

This full-length wall mirror presents a modern exterior alongside a more traditional hidden form. What at first appears to be an undecorated square mirror frame reveals the ‘ghost’ of a traditional molded gilt frame when you look into the mirror.

The mirror was launched at a solo show in Tokyo called ‘Lovable, Alternative Folk Design, during their design week in December 2007.

Link to mirror on Trico’s website

Half-tone bench

William — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:35:56 +0000

A series of four benches commissioned by Islington Council and installed in Clerkenwell Green in 2005.Each bench overlooks the next and can be peeped through by looking through the holes. The concept came from observations of people watching one another in parks.

The graphics on the benches are created from photographs and achieved through C.N.C. stamping a series of holes in a similar way to half tone printing photographic images in newspapers.

Shelves for Life

William — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:20:13 +0000

These shelves are designed to last you a lifetime. The wood will colour, the surfaces will mark and stain and over the years and the furniture will become a part of you.

When you die, the shelves can be taken apart and reassembled as a coffin. The brass plate under the bottom shelf, that tells the story about this transformation, is then flipped over and you’re dates inscribed on it.

The shelves were first launched at the British Library during the 2005 London Design Festival.

Please email me if you would like the measurements and instructions to build your own shelves. You will need to include your height and build. I’d like to see your homemade versions please so email me the images if you’ve made any already.