When the tide leaves London, spiky black forms emerge all over the river bed, remnants of old landings and docks of the past. The pitched, weathered & burnt textures created over decades and longer give the river its soul.
“I swear to you, sitting a throne is a thousand times harder than winning one”
The Carbon chair is essentially a unique piece of design art.
If you want the in on the background conversation, here we go…
I had the piece in mind for the home of a client with a tidal river view. I live close to the river and love going down on the medieval beach when the tide is out. There are pitched black posts here and there , remnants of the past life of the capital, long before it became the sterilised, zone1 theme park that it is these days. I wanted to create a piece that would look like it was washed up and somehere in between an organic fossilised lifeform and Elizabethan shipwreck.
I’d been working on some other furniture pieces a while ago , built my own steam bending chamber in my attempt ot understand that ancient skill (I’d recommend any one else to try that . it’s mindblowing how you can briefly plasticise a solid piece of oak).
So the steam bent pieces were still in the workshop , hung in the rafters , each one slightly different in curvature as befitting my novice bending skills. I knew one day they would become useful, and here they were the ideal ribs.
They were fresh sanded pale wood, way too fresh. So I burnt them. It’s a technique used in Japan to protect wood , used on the cladding of houses it seals and protects the wood and keeps bugs out.
To add to the story, It was a ritual burning. The first Hive chair I ever made , back in 2001 had been hanging in my folks’ back garden year round ever since and the northern weather finally had taken its toll. a couple of the ribs had split and it was covered in lichen. So this was fuel for the fire , the ribs of the new Carbon chair created from its ashes, completing the circle nicely.
I sed bent steel for the legs and main structure in the fashion that ancient relics are helped out with technology. I remember being amazed by the Viking longboat in the British museum a few years ago, being of solid VIking stock myself (apparently) , amazed like i was seeing the blue whale in the Natural hIstory museum when I was a 5 year old whippersnapper.
So that’s the epic tale of this chair. To me it totally makes sense but I’m happy if you just like the look of it.
Details
| Price | £2500 |
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| Made in our studio by us. Lead time 4-6 weeks. |
The Biggie Bench, with its architectural lines and contoured surfaces, is made from the highest grade Baltic Birch plywood and finished with natural Osmo oil.
The Biggie Bench design combines practical simplicity with ergonomic comfort, a strong, light and sculptural piece of furniture for homes and interior spaces.
This bench is part of a collection which includes the Tupac Chair and the Diddy Stool.
Biggie: Contoured Simplicity
“Dead right, if the head right, Biggie there e’ry night” -Biggie Smalls
The story behind the collection
“After working on a project designing seating for schools, I challenged myself to create a series of seating for rawstudio that would be simple to produce, ergonomically sound and sculptural in feel.
Basically, this is my version of ‘flat pack’! Most flat pack furniture exists in one dimension, three flat planes, giving you some form of an 8bit box which I found really low tech and basic. The seating in this range explores the other dimension, with ergonomic shaping from the cut edges.
We’ve produced this collection since 2007 and it has become a favourite with architects.”
-Nick Rawcliffe
Details
| Price | starting at £895 |
| Dimensions | 1120x800x600 |
| Materials | baltic birch laminate with Osmo oil natural finish. custom finishes and colours are available |
| Installation | tap in , knock down, simple assembly |
| Care | zero maintenance requirement if used indoors, periodical re-oiling as required if subject to weathering |
| Made in our studio by us. Lead time 4-6 weeks. |
The Diddy Stool, with its architectural lines and contoured surfaces, is made from the highest grade Baltic Birch plywood and finished with natural Osmo oil.
The Diddy Stool design combines practical simplicity with ergonomic comfort, a strong, light and sculptural piece of furniture for homes and interior spaces.
This stool is part of a collection which includes the Biggie Bench and the Tupac Chair.
“We can’t be stopped now, cause it’s Bad Boy for life” -Diddy
The story behind the collection
“After working on a project designing seating for schools, I challenged myself to create a series of seating for rawstudio that would be simple to produce, ergonomically sound and sculptural in feel.
Basically, this is my version of ‘flat pack’! Most flat pack furniture exists in one dimension, three flat planes, giving you some form of an 8bit box which I found really low tech and basic. The seating in this range explores the other dimension, with ergonomic shaping from the cut edges.
We’ve produced this collection since 2007 and it has become a favourite with architects.”
-Nick Rawcliffe
Details
| Price | from £175 |
| Dimensions | 365deep x 410high x 490wide |
| Materials | baltic birch laminate with Osmo oil, natural finish . custom finishes and colours are available |
| Installation | tap in , knock down, simple construction |
| Care | zero maintenance requirement if used indoors, periodical re-oiling as required if subject to weathering |
| Made in our studio by us. Lead time 4-6 weeks. |
The Tupac Chair, with its architectural lines and contoured surfaces, is made from the highest grade Baltic birch plywood and finished with natural Osmo oil.
The Tupac Chair design combines practical simplicity with ergonomic comfort, a strong, light and sculptural piece of furniture for homes and interior spaces.
This chair is part of a collection which includes the Biggie Bench and the Diddy Stool.
“Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live
And let’s change the way we treat each other” -Tupac
The story behind the collection
“After working on a project designing seating for schools, I challenged myself to create a series of seating for rawstudio that would be simple to produce, ergonomically sound and sculptural in feel.
Basically, this is my version of ‘flat pack’! Most flat pack furniture exists in one dimension, three flat planes, giving you some form of an 8bit box which I found really low tech and basic. The seating in this range explores the other dimension, with ergonomic shaping from the cut edges.
We’ve produced this collection since 2007 and it has become a favourite with architects.”
-Nick Rawcliffe
Details
| Price | from £275 |
| Dimensions | 490 wide x 800 high x 600 deep |
| Materials | baltic birch laminate with Osmo oil, natural finish . custom finishes and colours are available |
| Installation | tap in , knock down, simple construction |
| Care | zero maintenance requirement if used indoors, periodical re-oiling as required if subject to weathering. |
| Made in our studio by us. Lead time 4-6 weeks. |
“When I sit on a plane doing nothing but thinking, I get a lot of ideas. Whilst flying back from Japan I was reading an article on charity products when the idea of the ribbon stool came to me. It occurred to me that the actual shape of the ribbon, used everywhere by so many charities, is immediately recognisable. I decided then that I would just turn it into a modern little stool that can be used in many different applications.”
“A ribbon in the sky for our love “
Sculptural Furniture
This high quality piece is made in England from sand cast and hand polished pure aluminum using local processes and sustainable craftsmanship. The result is a stunning work of art that can be used as a sculpture or as a piece of furniture.
Details
| Price | Price: £1200 , limited edition of 100 (specifier discount available) |
| Dimensions | 49cm high x 40cm wide x 30cm deep |
| Materials | Artisanal sand cast, hand polished aluminium. |
| Care | Clean with a soft cloth. |
| Made in England. Lead time 4-6 weeks. |
The Circa Double seater chair is a sculptural hanging chair made from the highest grade Baltic birch plywood with a natural Osmo oil finish and marine grade rope. The simple, geometric lines of its hanging form create a self-contained architectural space in both interior and exterior environments, a comfortable safe haven of peace and quiet.
We have installed many chairs and are happy to advise and work with your specifications, talk to us about your installation requirements including size, frames, finishes and suitability of location.
This chair is part of a collection of hanging chairs that includes the Circa Chair and Hive chair.
“The beauty of this shape is that it encourages you to sit on either side facing one another instead of facing forward.” -Nick Rawcliffe
The story behind the design
“Do you have a hanging chair for two?
My answer to this question was to make the orignal Circa chair design wider with a curve, shaping it like a kidney bean. This makes the base surface a contour creating a more comfortable seating position for two people. I don’t know any other chair that does that.
The beauty of this shape is that it encourages you to sit on either side facing one another instead of facing forward.”
-Nick Rawcliffe
Details
| Price | from £1995 including standard cushion option (specifier discount available). |
| Dimensions | standard model 1.85m wide, approx 1m deep
(1.5m wide version also available) |
| Materials | FSC , high quality outdoor birch laminate.
mid/light options in UV filtering Osmo oil, satin finish.
Bespoke finish options available.
Black or white marine rope.
Standard cushion option included, mid grey faux suede colour, Flame retardant BS5852 0&1, Abrasion 30,000.
Foam filled. |
| Installation | No construction required of chair itself. Chair folds flat whilst fully assembled. Hanging equipment NOT supplied.
Two heavy duty hanging points must be installed in position by qualified installers. Rope or chain is recommended with the ability to adjust the hanging height. 250kg load maximum recommended load for chair (2 large adults). |
| Care | If using outdoors we recommend wiping the chair down every two/three months with a cloth and covering or storing the chair indoors during the winter. The cushion is not intended for outdoor use.
Indoor Use: you don’t really need to do anything… |
| Made in our studio by us. Lead time 4-6 weeks. |
The Circa chair is a sculptural hanging chair made from the highest grade Baltic birch plywood with a natural Osmo oil finish and marine grade rope. The simple, geometric lines of its hanging form create a self-contained architectural space in both interior and exterior environments, a comfortable safe haven of peace and quiet.
The Circa chair is for both indoor and outdoor use and can be hung from a supporting beam, a frame, a tree, or maybe you have another idea! We have installed many chairs and are happy to advise and work with your specifications, talk to us about your installation requirements including size, frames, finishes and suitability of location.
This chair is part of a collection of hanging chairs that includes the Hive Chair and Circa Double Seater.
“A beautifully simple, timeless design made from concentric circles” -Nick Rawcliffe
The story behind the furniture
“The Circa hanging chair developed from the Hive chair when I was at the Bauhaus.
The design only weighs about 8 kilograms and holds its shape by gravity through ropes. When it lies flat, it collapses like a crab net! Because everything can move, you get stress distribution among all of the joints, so it is incredibly strong.
Watching the circles spin as the chair turns, it looks incredibly sculptural.”
-Nick Rawcliffe
Details
| Price | from £695, including standard cushion option (specifier discount available). Optional frame £1100. |
| Dimensions | 120cm wide, 100cm deep |
| Materials | FSC , high quality outdoor birch laminate.
mid/light options in UV filtering Osmo oil, satin finish.
Bespoke finish options available.
Black or white marine rope.
Standard cushion option included, mid grey faux suede colour, Flame retardant BS5852 0&1, Abrasion 30,000.
Foam filled. |
| Installation | No construction required of chair itself. Chair folds flat whilst fully assembled. hanging equipment NOT supplied.
Single heavy duty hanging point must be installed in position by qualified installers. Rope or chain is recommended with the ability to adjust the hanging height.
130kg load maximum recommended load for chair (1 large adult). Bespoke hanging frame available. |
| Care | If using outdoors we recommend wiping the chair down every two/three months with a cloth and covering or storing the chair indoors during the winter. The cushion is not intended for outdoor use.
Indoor Use: you don’t really need to do anything… |
| Made in our studio by us. Lead time 4-6 weeks. |
The Hive chair is a sculptural hanging chair made from the highest grade Baltic birch plywood with a natural Osmo oil finish and marine grade rope. The hanging form creates a self-contained architectural space in both interior and exterior environments, a comfortable safe haven of peace and quiet.
The Hive chair can be hung from a frame, a ceiling, a tree, or maybe you have another idea! We have installed many chairs and are happy to advise and work with your specifications, talk to us about your installation requirements including size, frames, finishes and suitability of location.
This chair is part of a collection of hanging chairs that includes the Circa Chair and Circa Double Seater.
create your own space
“When you sit in it you have a framed view through the round opening but feel hidden as well. People refer to it as feeling womb like, a statement that always fascinates me.” -Nick Rawcliffe
The story behind the furniture
“I came up with the Hive Chair while working at the Bauhaus.
The challenge was to create a 3D space out of 2D shapes. The first version was a Hive that was double the size it is now, but when we made it I ended up chopping it in half and turned it into a chair it is now.
Made from sustainably sourced hardwood plywoods, the hidden detail I like about the Hive chair design is that it is over 90% efficient on materials because all the cuts are concentric.”
-Nick Rawcliffe
Details
| Price | from £1895 including standard cushion option (specifier discount available). Optional frame £1100. |
| Dimensions | Hive Chair: 120cm x 120cm
Frame (optional extra): 120cm wide x 180cm deep |
| Materials | FSC, high quality outdoor birch laminate. Mid/light options in UV filtering Osmo oil, satin finish.
Bespoke finish options available.
Black or white marine rope.
Standard cushion option included, mid grey faux suede colour, Flame retardant BS5852 0&1, Abrasion 30,000.
Fibre filled. |
| Installation | No construction required of chair itself. Chair folds flat whilst fully assembled. hanging equipment NOT supplied.
Single heavy duty hanging point must be installed in position by qualified installers. Rope or chain is recommended with the ability to adjust the hanging height.
130kg load maximum recommended load for chair (1 large adult). Bespoke hanging frame available. |
| Care | Outdoor Use: we recommend wiping the chair down every two/three months with a cloth and covering or storing the chair indoors during the winter. The cushion is not intended for outdoor use.
Indoor Use: you don’t really need to do anything… |
| Made in our studio by us. Lead time 4-6 weeks. |
