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Ilse Crawford is a designer, academic and creative director with a simple mission to put human needs and desires at the centre of all that she does. As founder of Studioilse, together with her multi-disciplinary, London-based team, she brings her philosophy to life. This means creating environments where humans feel comfortable; public spaces that make people feel at home and homes that are habitable and make sense for the people who live in them. It means designing furniture and products that support and enhance human behaviour and actions in everyday life. It means restoring the human balance in brands and businesses that have lost their way. Luxury modern woodworker, De La Espada is the manufacturing partner for the Studioilse furniture brand, crafting each product to the highest standard at their own production facility in Northern Portugal.
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MOODBOARD
“I’m part of a big family and I love the idea of furniture that brings you together. We always had people around and we all wanted to sit on the bench, because you could all squish up and it was really jolly. Chairs somehow make us very individual and autonomous, separate and self-contained, whereas on a bench you’re brought together, everybody’s on the same level.” - Ilse Crawford
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The Seating for Eating collection brings people together. A family of furniture comprised of settles, benches and stools that encourages people to push up and squeeze in together.
452E TOGETHER EXTENDING TABLE 444 BENCH WITH BACK 443 BENCH WITH 447S LEATHER SEAT PAD 8
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The settle is high backed for comfort and privacy, without being closed off from the room. It’s open and intimate at the same time, with wraparound arms that give a feeling of warmth.
446 SETTLE 441 STOOL 443 BENCH WITH 447S LEATHER SEAT PAD 10
The Together Table, with its narrow body and rounded edges is the perfect, intimate gathering place. With oval ends; you make more friends around the end of the table.
452EZ TOGETHER WIDE EXTENDING TABLE 450 TWO-SEATER BENCH WITH BACK 449 TWO-SEATER BENCH 441 STOOL 13
444 BENCH WITH BACK WITH 447M LEATHER SEAT PAD 456L SIDEKICKS LARGE SIDE TABLE 441 STOOL 14
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452EZ TOGETHER WIDE EXTENDING TABLE 450 TWO-SEATER BENCH WITH BACK 449 TWO-SEATER BENCH 441 STOOL 16
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The designs are carefully detailed and reassuringly familiar, in part inspired by archetypal English vernacular furniture, which in its time was a practical stripped back solution to a social need. Each piece is handcrafted by De La Espada in solid hardwood and copper feet. An optional slimline natural leather pad is secured by a discrete leather band. Studioilse first think about our primal human needs then design to add meaning and depth to our daily lives.
443 BENCH WITH 447S LEATHER SEAT PAD 459 SIDEKICKS HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE TABLE 441 STOOL 18
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Companions is a collection of furniture designed to support daily life. The Companions Bed is complemented by Companions Bedside, a solid wood table with a removable cork bowl as storage for personal items. Companions Writing Desk is a solid wood desk with a cork bowl for wires and plugs, and a closable top to hide away papers and laptops.
454R COMPANIONS WRITING DESK 441 STOOL
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455 COMPANIONS BED 453M COMPANIONS BEDSIDE
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455 COMPANIONS BED 454 COMPANIONS WRITING DESK
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TIMBER Studioilse products are available in a choice of American Black Walnut, American White Oak, or European Ash. The timber we use is from sustainable farms. The trees on the farms are pruned regularly to allow for consistent grain patterns and fewer knots, ensuring exceptionally strong planks of the highest quality. Our oil finishes embrace the inherent colour and grain variations in the timber, whilst providing a renewable surface for enduring beauty. Stains are sealed with a clear matte lacquer to maintain the colour whilst preserving the tactility of the surface. Our painted timber is wire brushed before the application of the paint to create a textured surface.
“We believe materials have hidden messages. These create a powerful link to our emotional psyches and shape our connection to daily life. We relish the warm and the synergy of the heart and head.” - Ilse Crawford
DANISH OILED AMERICAN BLACK WALNUT
BROWN STAINED EUROPEAN ASH
DANISH OILED AMERICAN WHITE OAK
BLACK STAINED EUROPEAN ASH
WHITE OILED AMERICAN WHITE OAK
BROWN PAINTED RAL 8019 EUROPEAN ASH - BRUSHED
DANISH OILED EUROPEAN ASH
BLACK PAINTED RAL 8022 EUROPEAN ASH - BRUSHED
WHITE OILED EUROPEAN ASH
WHITE PAINTED RAL 9010 EUROPEAN ASH - BRUSHED
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INSPIRING BOOKS
Ilse Crawford is drawn to books that explore the intersection between architecture and humanity - how human beings respond to texture, light and space. She is interested in the exploration of the senses, whether the role of food beyond mere survival, the profundity of working with one’s hands, or the tactility of the objects in our lives.
A Frame for Life Ilse Crawford
Sigurd Lewerentz Colin St John Wilson
The Eyes of the Skin Architecture and the Senses Juhani Pallasmaa
In Praise Of Shadows Junichiro Tanizaki
Hungry City, How Food Shapes Our Lives Carolyn Steel
Carl Auböck The Workshop
Home, A Short History of an Idea Witold Rybczynski
Sense of the City An Alternate Approach to Urbanism Mirko Zardini
Undesigning the Bath Leonard Koren
Life Between Buildings Jan Gehl
The Case for Working with Your Hands Matthew Crawford
Lessons from Bernard Rudofsky
“We talk of design as a frame for life, that makes us feel human, that makes us feel alive.” - Ilse Crawford
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PRODUCTS
440 LOW STOOL
440A LOW STOOL WITH LEATHER SEAT
441 STOOL
455 COMPANIONS BED
441A STOOL WITH LEATHER SEAT
448 TWO-SEATER LOW BENCH
442 LOW BENCH
454R/L COMPANIONS WRITING DESK
449 TWO-SEATER BENCH
443 BENCH
450 TWO-SEATER BENCH WITH BACK
458 SIDEKICKS SMALL DINING TABLE
444 BENCH WITH BACK
451 TWO-SEATER LOW SETTLE
445 LOW SETTLE
459 SIDEKICKS HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE TABLE
446 SETTLE
452E TOGETHER EXTENDING TABLE
452F TOGETHER FIXED TABLE
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453M COMPANIONS BEDSIDE
453S COMPANIONS LOW BEDSIDE
456S/L SIDEKICKS OCCASIONAL TABLE
456M SIDEKICKS COFFEE TABLE
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SALES@DELAESPADA.COM DELAESPADA.COM
photography credit
P. 24 by Casper Sejersen
P. 14,15,18,21,22 Annabel Elston
P. 12,16 by Yuki Sugiura
P. 11 by Nick Seaton
P. 3,8 by Leslie Williamson