Meet the YFM exhibitors – Joe Ellwood

The Young Furniture Makers exhibition, our annual showcase of emerging design talent, returns to the City of London on Wednesday 12 October for one day only.

Around 100 designs will be on show with industry being invited to attend and meet up-and-coming designer-makers who are looking to make an impact on the sector. Over the coming weeks we’ll be interviewing some of the makers who will be exhibiting at the event, which is sponsored by Axminister Tools and Sanderson Design Group and supported by the January Furniture Show.

Name: Joe Ellwood
Name of piece: Contemporary Vanity

Tell us about the product you’re exhibiting. What’s the story behind it?

‘Contemporary Vanity is a five piece collection I have designed over the past year or so. It contains a table, chair, mirror, modesty screen and hanging rail. The collection asks the question: What should the furniture of the future be? Each piece from the collection is made from raw finished aluminium, a material that can be readily reused and recycled. This recyclability, coupled with new low carbon cathode technologies, make aluminium a sustainably plausible material for the future. The collection enables the lone maker to be commercially viable. The entire collection is laser cut using a digital fabrication service. Designing and making using the latest laser technology and digital manufacturing empowers the individual designer/maker to make high volume products cost- comparably to the high street.

The aesthetic of the collection aims to challenge and disrupt the mid-century norms of furniture today. I have taken inspiration from the likes of Perriand and Prouvé and distorted their pieces to create a body of work that relates to our current generation. The lives we live today are fluid in gender, identity, expression and thought. This collection represents this confusion, indecision and anxiety in a whimsical and endearing way. This collection aims to question what it means to reflect your identity though the objects surrounding you.

What was the most challenging part of bringing it to life?

The collection is designed to be easily assembled, the hardest part was that I only had the budget to fabricate each piece once. I sent off the laser cut files, to cut the aluminium. The aluminium arrived and then I had to work with what I had, there was no room to go back and tweak any of the files. Aluminium is not a material I have had a lot of experience with, I am not as familiar with its properties or challenges as I am with timber. It was a huge risk but I think and hope it paid off!

What do you hope to get out of being part of the Young Furniture Makers exhibition?

At undergrad I studied Architecture and I am currently studying for a masters in Architecture. I have a real love of furniture and I have been designing and making furniture semi-professionally since I graduated. I have no real knowledge of or friends in the furniture world. I am hoping to meet some like minded people and build relationships and friendships for the future.

Who is your design hero and why?

I am reluctant to say a design hero. I have drawn inspiration from and been influenced by so many. I love Kuramata, have a huge appreciation for Prouvé, Perriand and Wegner. I also really love Ron Arad and the way he and a few others really shook up the furniture world in the 90s.

What are your career aspirations?

In 2020 I founded my company: Six Dots Design. I am hoping to develop it into an internationally recognised design studio which has a small team of dedicated designers and artists making beautiful work. If I have a workshop and a bed to sleep in ultimately I’ll be happy!

Which company would you love to work for one day?

I have always wanted to own my own business and control the work I take on and the work I don’t. My dream commission or partnership would probably be with a large fashion house or brand. I would have loved to have collaborated with Virgil Abloh.

How do you think you’d react if you won a Young Furniture Makers Award?

I’d probably be pretty emotional. I have had no formal training in making or furniture or product design. Winning such a prestigious award would really reassure me that I am on the right path and that I do have potential in this field. It can be really tough to maintain a sense of self belief sometimes especially when things aren’t going your way. Being shortlisted for this award has already been a huge boost and winning it would be incredible.

For more information, go to www.sixdotsdesign.co.uk