Description: A pair of beautiful bedroom suite pieces.

One of the pieces the client commissioned was originally based on my Fluted Desk design but, made as a dressing table. She also wanted a chest of drawers to go with it. We settled on a design direction and were all set to go when we started exploring how the leg shapes might work. The pieces need to be a pair but each serve very a different purpose. A chest of drawers needs to be sturdily built and be able to be loaded up. It is essentially a large storage box. The dressing table is a more delicate, personal, a piece of furniture made specifically for a single individual. It needed to feel light and airy and create a place where the client would be pampering herself. This pulled the designs, and especially that of the leg shape, in opposite directions. Whilst trying to describe some of my ideas, I asked the client to look at the shape of the legs on my Brown Oak Console. It was at the point they spotted the texture on the top of the console.

This texture on the console is created with an antique moulding plane I found in a small second hand shop in Bude. The process is full of risks: it’s tricky, takes time, goes wrong and is best used on small areas. Its not something to do on large panels, when you have a limited number of boards from the one tree you are trying to use.

I ended up texturing every panel on both pieces. It was a bugger.

However, after re thinking the two pieces to make the most of the new design direction, well…the end result is beautiful. The subtle, tactile texture softens the pieces and adds another dimension to how they feel when used. The smooth half round rails and rounded legs  frame each panel and bring strong, structural contrast to the more organic feeling of the texture. The pieces are finished with a white tinted hard wax oil, which softens the overall look and feel. The pieces are quiet and calm and feel perfectly at home in the bedroom.

In the end, the pieces do have different leg shapes which perfectly match their different uses and character. The chest has cylindrical legs, strong, straight, structural. The legs on the dressing table have a leaf shaped cross section and gently taper making them light and delicate.

I am really pleased with them.

Materials: Solid European oak

Dimensions:  W:1250mm  D:555mm   H:800mm ( dressing table )

W:1600mm  D:580mm   H:880mm ( chest of drawers )

Finish: Hard wax oil.