British designer Tom Faulkner presents Skye, a new furniture collection that embodies the organic elegance of amorphous shapes and the precision of the ellipse. This monolithic range, a year in the making, consists of seven pieces crafted from British Steel, highlighting the material’s versatile properties. The Skye Collection seamlessly bridges the gap between art and functionality, showcasing Faulkner’s passion for sculptural design.
Composed of a dining table, two console tables, a side table, a bench, stools, and a plinth, the series is the first large-scale collection for the artist-designer since 2019. Inspired by Modern British artists Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, Tom Faulkner delights in crafting furniture that straddles sculptural form and functional design.
Using the brand’s trademark sheet steel shaping technique, the Skye Collection focuses attention on the beauty and intrigue of the elegantly formed ellipse, held safely within a contrasting cloud-like shape. Much like Hepworth and Moore, Tom Faulkner takes joy in the contrast between the undulating beauty of the amorphous shape and the perfection of the ellipse.
Whilst not directly inspired by the island of Skye, the collection is so named not only because of the island’s own neolithic stones, but also because of its neolithic beauty, and shimmering lakes.
Brought to life from sheet stainless steel, the collection is crafted by Faulkner’s skilled metal workers at his sprawling workshop in Wiltshire, an hour west of London. The historic property was once home to the Great Western Railway Coachworks built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the mid-19th Century. After cutting the sheets of stainless steel and then rolling them into shape using great force, the pieces are welded together, transforming the two-dimensional to the three-dimensional. Tom and the team have developed the metallic satin stainless steel finish specifically for the Skye collection with the Special Edition Skye console uniquely showcasing a patinated finish within the central ellipse – with the original welds still visible.
Tom Faulkner says “This is an important collection for the brand. Not only are we unveiling a new shape, but we have also experimented with the properties of stainless steel, harnessing its potential. Skye is a celebration of the brand’s 30-year heritage, and I am overjoyed to have the support and skills of my loyal team, many of whom have been with me for over 20 years. Skye is a collection that speaks of my personal design and artistic inspiration, the elegance and organic beauty of Barbara Hepworth and the statuesque aesthetic of Henry Moore’s public sculptures. I’m excited for the collection to be enjoyed as much as I have enjoyed creating it.”
The Skye Collection will debut at Tom’s New York showroom during the city’s NYCxDesign Festival in May and will also be available in his Pimlico Road showroom in London.
