Love Collection

The Love Collection is the result of a

collaboration between Deadgood and North East

based retailer Barker & Stonehouse.The range

comprises of three products; a Console Table,

Lounge Chair and heart shaped Mirror and is

designed to showcase the best of British

craftmanship, all linked by a common,

compassionate theme.

There's more information in the products

section or alternatively you can read part of

our interview with Sarah Brownlee,

freelance journalist for Blueprint and idFX...

What was your inspiration for the

collection?

The idea was to create something that was

typically British and specifically related to Barker

& Stonehouse’s North East roots, so we started

off looking at the Georgian architecture

Newcastle is famous for and then more

specifically at the detailing of the period; the

elegant lines and forms that were apparent and

popular. We went on to investigate the

traditional manufacturing techniques adopted by

the great craftsmen of the day and how they

created elegant furniture of great quality. We

decided to replicate those ideals in three key

pieces: a console, mirror and upholstered chair,

but add our own Deadgood twist. 

What’s love go to do with it?

We’d just returned from a week in New York and

had seen the heart motif all over the city. It’s an

instantly recognisable symbol that means

something to everyone and we felt that

incorporating this theme would give the

collection that little bit more of a personal touch.

What better subject for people to engage with

than love? It also appealed to us because we like

to use strong visual/graphic elements in our

work and the heart could be used as both a

decorative and functional device. For example,

the chair has a Chesterfield section inlaid with

heart-shaped buttons (love buttons, we like to

call them) and the console has heart-shaped

joints. It’s an eccentric, tongue-in-cheek, touch

that is very Barker and Stonehouse and very us.

Let’s talk materials…

Again we wanted to go for traditional British

material so we opted for Oak on the console,

mirror frame and chair legs. The material was

subtle enough to let the design of the pieces

speak for themselves. The upholstery is 100%

wool and complements the raw finish of the

timber. The mirror is made with bevelled glass –

throughout the Georgian period the bevel was

an indicator of quality. This technique was very

difficult to produce but it was key to the

integrity of the piece.

Were the pieces difficult to make?

James Barker works with many excellent

manufacturers and furniture makers, so he knew

where to find the expertise to make them, but

because they are quite complex pieces, with

some intricate detailing involved, it wasn’t

exactly straight forward. But if you’re striving to

do something that little bit different it’s unlikely

to be easy.

What have you enjoyed most about

the project?

The challenge of pitching ideas to a client. We

generally create products on our own, so there’s

no-one to answer to or look to for confirmation.

But when you’re pitching to a client you have to

have the conviction and confidence to make

people believe in your ideas.

It’s also been really interesting working with the

two companies who prototyped the pieces. They

are both highly skilled and reaffirmed our belief

that there is hope for British furniture

manufacture. Coincidentally they were also both

set in idyllic, quintessentially British places. I

think they found the console and the chair

technically challenging, but the products have

been developed exactly to our specifications and

it doesn’t always work out like that.

And finally, how do we get our hands

on the collection?

It’s going to be available in all of Barker and

Stonehouse’s stores and online too, so it’s

available nationally. It’s a distinct, design-led

little collection, but it’s not exclusive in terms of

who can buy it and where. We want everyone to

share in the Love...

Download the full press release here>

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