ALFRED NEWALL
At Aubin HQ we love to celebrate the art and craftmanship of making things. If like us you have fond memories of your school woodwork classes, mastering the art of the pencil holder or desk tidy,it was an absolute pleasure to spend a morning with furniture maker and designer Alfred Newall in his South Downs workshop
Alfred describes his work as “Honest furniture, made to last” which is a short statement but makes perfect sense. And very much the mantra we subscribe to in everything we try to do at Aubin. He trained as a traditional cabinet maker at The Building Crafts College in East London and immersed himself in the history of making and traditional methods.
In this fast-paced world we live in we often forget about the process of actually making things. We stood back in awe when he said his first project was a staircase (er… not one for the faint hearted…) Tinkering around at home, repairing old buildings, fixing doors and windows is a very useful skill to have. It takes fantasy DIY to a whole new level.
The act of making things, designing, researching crafts of the past and their origins and how these have developed is what gets Alfred motoring. He isn’t recreating historical pieces; his own work is refreshingly modern with a nod to the past. But with a level of respect that comes with the years of knowledge gained.
His design references are a plenty; the history of turning in the Tudor era plays heavily into one of his collections, the turned bobbins synonymous with his work have become a pretty recognised interior design feature. It’s fair to say that the lathes see a lot of action.
The Arts and Crafts movement also inspires Alfred’s work. The use of natural materials and the purpose of making things to last is key. We chatted about Georgian joinery and how design and proportion are important. Made for practical purposes, but beautiful and built to last. Like a good wine, it only gets better with age. Pieces made 100 years ago, that have played an integral part in the fabric of a building gain something in their beauty as they get older. Don’t we all.
The materials are crucial to the longevity of the piece, in particular materials that are local to the surrounding area. There is something quite special about using local materials to make local furniture. Oak is the king of all English hardwoods and one of the greatest building materials of the past so Alfred mainly uses this. Oak has its own characteristics, and no two pieces will be the same. It must be treated with a great deal of respect.
Alfred is honouring the past and traditional techniques whilst ensuring the pieces fit the requirements of modern living. In everyday life we often take the chairs we sit on and the tables we eat at for granted. But it’s worth considering how everything has been made and designed. But in particular who’s creative mind designed it and who’s skilled hands made it. In fact it rather blows your mind when you take a step back and think about it.
Being obsessive about looking back to move forward rings so true with our own product ethos. Always ensuring things are made properly and built to last, but relevant for modern life is key. Makers like Alfred are creating heirlooms of the future. We cannot wait to see what’s next.
