Eric Parry Designs

In collaboration with furniture maker Matthew Marchbank, these benches were originally commissioned for the Dick Sheppard Chapel at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

The Vigilia bench design plays between the delicacy of the hand crafted spindles of the back rest and the splayed legs on the one hand and its robustness on the other. Designed for waiting spaces or places of encounter, the horsehair seat pad makes it comfortable for long periods and yet it is taut and economical.

The Vigilia bench was presented, and on exhibition at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan Design Week 2012.

The Sanctuary bench is a decidedly different design. Here, chunky timber legs are comb-jointed into one another and continue around to form the side of the seat, back and fold in on themselves to create an arm. The same horsehair stuffed pads make both seat and backrest cushions.

Collaborating with furniture maker Hiro Takayanagi, the table (overleaf) was originally commissioned for the Four Seasons Hotel Spa, Park Lane, London. The robustness of oak is a counterpoint to the delicacy of form of the metal work and celebration of craft. This piece adds to a series of ongoing collaborations including ironmongery, glasswork and textiles.

The ‘Z’ Handle was designed to overcome the usual accumulation of parts by creating a continuous flow of surface from horizontal to vertical.

These designs are a commitment to the enrichment of our culture and daily life – and future collaborations will continue to explore the relationship between designer and maker, context and material.