London-based designer Henry Holland has presented his debut collection of furniture, which features handmade ceramic spheres, amorphous mohair seats and patinated bronze. The collection marks his first foray into furniture design since switching from fashion to ceramics in 2020.
© Henry Holland
According to Holland, who works from his Henry Holland Studio in Hackney, the five-piece collection combines graphic playfulness with meticulous craftsmanship. The designs follow the recognisable, bold style of his existing ceramic and home collections.
One of the most striking pieces is a wobbly chair with a mohair seat and backrest on a spindly bronze frame. Decorative ceramic spheres, made using the Japanese nerikomi technique, are strung through the frame like beads. Holland emphasises that manually stacking and cutting coloured clay creates unique, marble-like patterns, making exact repetition impossible.
Besides the chair, the collection includes a round pouffe, a stripy side table and a console and coffee table, each featuring Holland's signature ceramic elements. The bronze frames are hand-forged and form an organic connection with the ceramic surfaces, in line with the studio motto "embrace the wobble".
© Henry Holland
Holland took personal inspiration: the chair's small ceramic "pebble feet" were cast with stones he collected while scattering his late mother's ashes on a Welsh coast.
The collection will be exhibited at the Mount Street Arts Festival in Mayfair, London, until 18 October. Holland sees the furniture collection as an extension of his studio: from lighting to furniture, aiming to create a cohesive world of design.
Source: Dezeen
