Our collection is designed by Russell. There is a handwriting in his work, even in its most simple expression, that is personal and consistent. This signature look is created using one voice, Russell’s voice. He expresses our design intent and our product development team adhere to this, ensuring our pieces are developed beautifully, and feel warm and inviting to engage with.

To Oona and Russell, inspiration has never been something literal, rather their imaginations are fed by visiting places all over the world and the feelings those places leave them with. This mix of influences is prevalent in our collection - there are reflections of American Shaker and Scandinavian Modernism, a subtle Britishness and the simple beauty of the landscape. Oona and Russell collaborate as part of living, she conjures up how a piece needs to feel and acts as a sounding board for Russell as he works his way through a design. They credit their imaginations and ability to communicate with each other, conveying ideas in a language only they understand.

It always starts with a sketch. A download of ideas onto paper. Sketches take many forms as Russell works through curves, angles and dimensions, slowly bringing an idea to life. Russell’s desk is the home of sketching. Piles of discarded sketches live here, as well as felt tips in every possible shade. He can often be found there working away on a new idea, sparking the curiosity of those around him.

Once a sketch feels right, the next step is to bring it into the physical world. PINCH models are first made from balsa wood and for Russell a scalpel is like a third hand, a tool he has used since he was a child.  He feels his way through each object, imagining, sculpting, carving, amending, fixing. These models allow us to experience a piece in 3D, to understand what it looks like from all angles, and it is these models that he uses to convey his ideas to Oona and the wider team. No model is ever discarded and instead they shape our working environments, lining the shelves in our studio, a constant source of inspiration and a reminder of the successes and failures of the creative process.

Finally a life-sized model or a partial model is created. Here the choice of medium depends on the piece, a light is often fashioned straight from abaca fibre, while a squishy sofa detail may be more suited to a piece of clay. A dining chair can first be shaped from cardboard, while a bed post might be turned from a solid piece of wood. In full size we can feel how a piece contributes to a space, what it will be like to use, to walk past and to sit on. From here we refine. This process varies in length, as we strive for perfection.

Our workshops are our collaborators and they feature in the final part of our process. Detailed design drawings are shared with them, these designs play to their particular skills and that is the way it should be. We visit them often as the first edition of a piece is being created, occasionally making small changes as we work together to create furniture to live well with.