Joined + Jointed at LDF
A collective of celebrated designers produce meticulously crafted furniture from first sketch to final product
by LinYee Yuan
A number of homegrown brands were launched during this year’s London Design Festival, but one of the standouts was the collection of wood furnishings from Joined + Jointed. The debut offering—which includes the striking Concave bookshelf from Simon Pengelly, the Lazy dining table and chairs from Freshwest, Linus sideboard from Wales & Wales and the Wood III chair from Henrik Soerig—highlights their craftsmanship and carefully selected materials with natural finishes and a straightforward construction.
But unlike many of this year’s new brands, Joined + Jointed is experimenting with a unique business model—direct sales to consumers through an exclusive online retail proposition. Direct sales, coupled with the presentation of the design group as a collective, makes this project an exciting entry into the design market. When consumers buy directly from the website, they support the collective itself, cutting out the traditional role of retailer.
Simon Pengally’s Concave bookcase in walnut or oak creates an optical illusion while solving the modern problem of storing items of varying sizes in an organized fashion. The simplicity of Wales & Wales’ Hutu side table makes a handsome magazine rack, and when flipped over, it may serve as a simple side table or stool. And the asymmetrical frame on Alex Hellum‘s Jot creates an openness in an otherwise compact desk. A leather tab pull and a desktop cubbyhole are thoughtful details.
When British designer Samuel Chan began thinking about ways to expand beyond his established line Channels, he sought out like-minded designers who approached materials with the same focus on artisan production. The offerings from Joined + Jointed boast both in-house design and production—Chan owns production houses in the UK and in China. The result of these twin blessings is an affordable collection that is highly crafted and considered.
Images courtesy of Joined + Jointed
