Tom Faulkner: Metal head

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Ever since 1993, when Tom Faulkner was first awakened to the myriad and malleable possibilities of metal to make sleek and sinuous furniture, he has been a man captivated. It was during a visit to a forge in Wiltshire that he fell for all things metallic. “It is an elemental, earthy and honest material, and it can be heated, beaten, rolled, cut and welded into the smallest most intricate shapes or the biggest and boldest forms. From a manufacturing point of view it is very attractive in that it does not split and it does not warp,” explains the designer. And it is testament to this revelatory experience that Faulkner still uses the same forge in Swindon to make his now much sought-after and elegant designs, which these days are sold to a mixture of private clients, interior designers and architects.

At that stage Tom was in his late 20s and had had no formal training in the crafting of furniture. “I’d been working for a record company, but I’d also had a spell helping out a picture framer who had a little shop with a small workshop attached,” he recollects. “I realised that was what I wanted – I liked making things, and also the idea that everything was concentrated there, so it was sold direct to the customer.”

His lack of apprenticeship transpired to be an advantage; without any particular methodology to fall back on, he relied instead on a winningly instinctive approach, seeking simplicity of line and proportion – arguably the two fundamental cornerstones of good design – over ornament for ornament’s sake, and allowing the metal itself to inform the aesthetic.

“Steel was very much the material of the 20^th-century. The early modernists -  architects and designers such as Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Jean Prouvé - made it their material; they loved it for the opportunities it opened up for them,” he enthuses. “The modernists not only embraced steel, but it also allowed them to turn their backs on ornamentation and clutter, and embrace the ‘detail and the finish’ instead. They realised there was real richness in simplicity, and allowed the lines of their furniture and buildings speak for themselves.”

It is this very simplicity that has made Tom Faulkner’s eponymous brand such a hit with the cognoscenti. A little over a year ago, he decamped from the shop he ran successfully in Clerkenwell for a decade-and-a-half in favour of the design elite of Chelsea Reach, where he now has a showroom. “I liked the idea of not having too visible a presence from the street,” he explains, “that way, when customers find us, it feels more special. People can come to see our furniture and finishes, and we also do a bespoke service, which is another reason to come in.”

Fans of Tom’s modernist take on contemporary furniture will admire a selection of new pieces he’s recently added to the collection; the beautiful Galena table was inspired by Bertone’s BAT 11 concept car, while the Oriel Chair is all classic elegance supported by a solid beech wood framework. There is also a Regency-inspired Liberty dining table and The Tiffany Chair, an ode to stylish simplicity. And, as Faulkner says, it’s all about keeping it unfussy. “Four words that sum up my style are: distinctive, contemporary, elegant and simple.”

Contact Tom Faulkner by calling 020 7351 7272

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