People / Louis Eager
Louis Eager is a designer and maker. The materials he uses predominantly consist of readymades: industrially produced everyday objects, standard sections, architectural hardware – components that are pre-existing and pre-designed. Louis intends to re-appropriate and subvert these familiar common materials in the context of furniture and homeware products.
Tactile Paver Record Unit
The Tactile Paver Record Unit is a direct response to the limitations shaping my practice. With limited workshop time, the design process became one of selection rather than invention. Rather than creating bespoke components, I investigated a catalogue of industrial products until I identified a granite tactile paving slab whose dimensions and materiality embodied the qualities I was looking for. The resulting record storage unit is bonded with construction adhesive and mounted on castors. The paving slabs closely match the dimensions of vinyl record sleeves, allowing the furniture’s proportions to emerge directly from the material. Granite was selected over standard concrete for its durability and material quality, while the raised domes retain the slab’s association with public infrastructure. Surplus dead-stock paving slabs, construction adhesive and castors demonstrate how readily available industrial products can be re-contextualised through careful selection and simple intervention into considered domestic furniture.
M22 Candle Holder
The M22 Candle Holder is a direct response to the limitation of working with an existing industrial component. Rather than producing a bespoke part, the design process became one of careful selection, investigating an existing catalogue of hardware until I identified an M22 hexagonal connector nut whose dimensions, thread and proportions already embodied the qualities I was looking for. Working within the constraints of this standardised component meant every design decision emerged from its existing traits. The M22 thread accommodates a standard candlestick, allowing it to be replaced after use, while the conventional right-hand thread provides an intuitive method of securing it. The nut’s weight and familiar hexagonal form make it comfortable to handle and stable without concealing its industrial origin. Using standard industrial components makes the design process more accessible as an emerging designer, reducing the need for bespoke manufacturing while revealing the design potential already embedded within everyday objects.
Outdoor Bench
Aluminium, stainless steel, galvanised steel, nylon and rubber hardware
2030 x 310 × 430–550mm
A bench made to withstand the weather of Clerkenwell with seat height adjustability for Kindred’s ever-sloping pavement. Seat made from plywood core, wrapped in aluminium tread-plate. Adjustable leg made from a length of stainless steel M45 threaded bar, and M45 hex nuts. Fixed leg made from a traffic crash barrier end section – galvanised steel. Finished with stainless steel, nylon and rubber hardware.