People / George Richardson
George Richardson is a designer, maker, and artist whose practice involves reinterpreting traditional techniques while exploring a material’s aesthetic and functional properties. The workshop, where he experiments and refines his work, is essential to his process. Based in London, his works range from furniture and sculptural objects to traditional timber framing.
Heavy Pour
Finding a suitable piece of timber was the first hurdle when developing this wine rack. I wanted to create a piece from a solid chunk of wood, but finding something large enough to achieve what I had envisioned was challenging. The thicker the timber, the higher the price, and I was looking for something considerably large. I had heard about a building site that had closed down, leaving stacks of CLT (cross-laminated timber) lying in a nearby car park. The CLT was chunky, stable, and going pretty much free, lending itself perfectly for the project. Its size, layered construction, and properties shaped both the final form and the making process.
Knuck Shelf
Maple (soft maple shelves, hard maple legs)
1050 x 375 x 866mm
Constructed from both soft and hard maple, the ‘Knuck Shelf’ follows a skeletal language established in Richardson’s work. The legs are turned on a lathe, with the original square profile preserved at specific joining points, aiding the joinery between the leg and shelf. This focus on the connection between components is celebrated and stands as a key stylistic element of the product.