Jan Henzel Studio was approached by Red Deer architects to lead a collaborative ensemble of artists and makers to create bedroom valets for the new lifestyle hotel brand Birch.

With the vision of challenging project wastefulness and turning uniformity of design on its head, the studio worked with sustainable material designer Charlotte Kidger, ceramicist Emma Louise Payne and metalsmith Lucie Naujalis, to create a valet stand with an artistic sculptural form.

The innovation of the range lies within the stands’ unique shape, as well as in the synergy of contrasting textures and materials.

Sediment-cast recycled plastic forms, raw agglomerated black cork, glazed and textured ceramics and hand-beaten patinated copper vessels sit alongside shaped and laminated solid wood pieces made from sycamore and ash.

The timber was selected carefully to suit the sustainable aspirations of the project, sourced from the Grown In Britain scheme, and originated from the continuous cover forests from National Trust estates around Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

The stands’ tactile crafted elements invite guests to interact in different ways – to hang a dress, a jacket, a watch, jewellery, display flowers or simply to store loose change, a set of keys or a mobile phone.

Each piece was handmade in small batches at Hendzel’s South London workshop. With a master woodworker’s approach and an understanding of joinery, Hendzel overcame technical challenges in bringing the multiple elements together in a single form that was simultaneously light and robust yet able to be easily taken apart.

The system of octagonal uprights, finely jointed with expressed pin details, has been designed to withstand the ‘drunk guest test’ and conform to safety requirements, but also be easily interchanged by slotting in and out of the base unit.

The modular elements mean the valets can be updated over time, resulting in a constantly evolving piece of furniture.

“Red Deer came to us with a clear message from the Birch project,” comments Jan Hendzel, founder of his eponymous studio. “It was about experimentation, difference, having fun, celebrating the variety of surprises that comes from involving individual makers rather than large furniture factories.

“The hotel team have been open-minded and progressive clients, with similar deep-rooted interests in the sustainability and longevity of objects as us. The synergy of various skilled craftspeople has really brought this project together.”

Birch (handle.silk.comet) officially opens its doors on 24th April.

www.janhendzel.com

CREDITS:
Words: Donna Salek
Photography: © Fergus Coyle