The Eryri Bench & Cadir Malo [Malo Chair]

Traditional furniture was ardently studied to understand relationships to physicality and the emblematic presence within the home, with the Welsh Stick Chair (Y Gadair Gefn Ffyn Gymreig) being a key precedent. Translating culture is a multifaceted practice; for instance, in the Welsh language, culture (diwylliant) has an innate connotation of its own, having a closer connection with the idea of folk, crafts, and communities in rural areas than the English equivalent, which is illustrated through the collection.

Maker : Rhodri Owen

Photographer : Peter Kneen

The Eryri Bench

The Eryri Bench is the result of the designer's search of infusing contemporary elements within traditional furniture, both through design and the making process. The sticks (ffyn) of the collection have been manipulated to create new shapes, evoking Snowdonia’s mountainous landscape profiles. For those who know the landscape, forms are immediately distinguishable, such as the unique profile of Lliwedd and Snowdown used for the cross section of the bench. For those unfamiliar with Snowdonia, the manipulated components still evoke distinctive contemporary furniture.

Maker : Rhodri Owen

Photographer : Peter Kneen

Cadair Malo

The Malo chair (Cadair Malo) was the conceptual think piece of the collection, named after Anwyl’s beloved niece as a celebration of the history and identity of Wales while focusing on its bright and hopeful future. The chair’s sticks have been subtly influenced by the ten highest peaks of Snowdonia, with a wider seat base and an extravagant form, has meant the chair can be a stand-alone piece as well as fitting within the dinning collection, giving consumers the option to ‘mix and match’ artefacts.

The piece was integral to creating two diverse branches of the collection. Cadair Malo being a conceptual approach with a unique form and The Eryri Bench being the commercial and domestic branch which is currently being developed.

Maker : Rhodri Owen

Photographer : Peter Kneen