We love the chance to get our creative juices flowing and a new and rather unusual commission for a biplane bench has allowed us to do just that.
We’ve begun work on a very exciting bespoke design project for a client who is an aeroplane enthusiast and expert. The brief was to design and manufacture two dining table benches in the form of a biplane’s wings.
We always work closely with our clients to ensure that their ideas are brought to life in the best way possible, and this project has been no exception. Our expert furniture design team use their wealth of knowledge and experience to design pieces from scratch or, as in this case, begin with a client’s idea. As well as creating furniture that’s stunning to look at, they also bear in mind durability and style. With seating, comfort and practicality are also considerations.
This charming project allowed us to use our design flair to create a bespoke piece of furniture reflecting our client’s interests and passion. We came up with a unique design which marries our client’s vision with our creative design and exceptional woodworking methods. We use state-of-the-art technology to enable us to create and manufacture innovative and cutting-edge furniture of superb quality.
For this project, we took our initial inspiration from the Sopwith Camel, a British fighter aircraft used in the First World War. As it developed, our design retained the form of the Camel’s wings but the struts were modelled on those of the Pitts Special light aerobatic biplane.
It is particularly important to us that clients are involved with the process when we are working on such a bespoke and personal commission as this one. We’ll discuss ideas and look at the different woods that could be used. And we always keep our clients informed of our progress at every stage of the design and manufacture.
Here, the wing shapes of each biplane bench – which provide the seat and the lower shelf – were made from solid maple. The legs and struts were made from solid sapele, which was also used alongside walnut for the roundel motif.
There are a variety of finishes available for the wood we use in our furniture, and we can recommend the one that will enhance and compliment your furniture. These benches will have a hand-applied oil finish which, when used on dense woods such as maple, produces a glossy sheen and really enhances the grain of the wood.
We’re thoroughly enjoying our work on this exciting and unique project. Keep an eye out for more updates as it progresses.
In the meantime, find out more about commissioning your own piece of furniture here.