Studio 5: London College of Furniture

Studio philosophy

This studio will celebrate the history of The Cass, linking its goals and ideals with its predecessor, the London College of Furniture.

The content for this studio will be tailor made for each student. Some may wish to spend the year tackling a single material or brief, whilst others can run multiple short and varied projects.

Individual student approaches will be negotiated and agreed with the studio leader at the beginning of the year. This approach is designed to help learners focus their education on the skills that they will need in the future. 

This studio will be industry facing with an emphasis placed on commercially viable projects. Students will consider the costs and values relating to their work, experience work placements, factory visits and live project briefs and exhibit their work in front of an international design aware audience. 

All design work developed during the studio will have evolved through a rigorous process of sketching, modelling and prototyping. Ultimately, this is a design studio and through the year each student will learn how they most effectively work. 

All projects undertaken during the studio will grow from an understanding of structure, manufacture and materials that has evolved from first hand workshop experience. A number of each student’s projects will require full size exhibition ready working prototypes. 

Assignments will range in time frame from 2 to 10 weeks to encourage both a nimble, spontaneous and speculative concept response and also grow the capacity to sustain, reflect on and deepen engagement with an idea.  

Students will work individually and within groups, to discover and exploit inherent strengths and to experience and learn from the dynamic relationships that emerge from visual, verbal and experiential dialogue. 

From the facts of life to design fictions, with the underlying premise of making things better, the series of assignments are aimed to help students find their own voice in design and to give them the confidence to speak. 

Projects 

These will include a Christmas Market in collaboration with Ligne Roset, a freelance design session for Conran Collection, factory visits, a live project with Parker Knoll, an exhibition at the major world design event Milan Furniture Fair, a high profile project with Heal’s leading to a chance to exhibit in the store during LDF 2014 and potential to have pieces in production.

Image Credit: William Warren

Details

Course Furniture (FdA)
Product Design BA (Hons)
Furniture Restoration (BA Hons)
Tutor William Warren
Kate Payne
Where Studio 5, 4th Floor, Commercial Road
When Tuesdays, Fridays

Susan Atkinson
Hendrik Lubbe Bakker
Mandie Beuzeval
Herbert Palmer Esq
Tim Grist
Sarah Murdock
James Porter
Gavin Smith
Jodie Watts

Ben Abbott
Luke Ayling
Toyan Gerald Owen Battersbee
Dan Chapman
Joe Fitzgerald
Marta Gover
Prince Ntim-Adjei
Jethro Rayner
Aysha Shah
Samuel Hirst Stiling
Alejanora Tellez
Adaam Abdul Wahid