Soane Britain
I actually applied for a trainee rattan weaver position at Soane and did not get the job. I still dream that I will learn to make furniture like that one day... I would have loved to learn how to weave.
Soane Britain is a furniture company that has been around for nearly 30 years. The brand is known for its rattan products and takes pride in making all its pieces in Britain, maintaining traditional manufacturing methods. For some reason, I had assumed Soane was older than it is and that is because it has quite an old fashioned image. It's impression is a brand with integrity, which I think it is.
Soane was founded by Lulu Lytle and Christopher Hodsall, although Lulu seems to be the main player here (I have got all this information from an article in Home and Garden). She founded the brand when she was 25, despite studying Egyptology, which does not typically lead to furniture design. She named the brand after the architect John Soane, who designed many large 18th Century buildings, one of which was Anyhoe House where I worked as a catering assistant when I was 19! It is one of the most impressive buildings I've ever been in. Anyway, Lulu rescued the last rattan weaving workshop in the country in 2011 and made rattan weaving the focus of her brand. Rattan makes me think of stuffy old conservatory seating, so it is commendable that Lulu has managed to make this material look much more contemporary and very much desirable.
So, let's look at some of the products.
There are many many different styles and types of furniture to look at but I have chosen just a few, mainly because they caught my eye. Well, the top bench is just a nice woven bench; stately and elegant.
The second image is one of my favourites - a simple stool. It is interesting how the upholstery continues down the sides.
The chair shown above is from a collection inspired by mid century French design. It looks pretty swanky and comfortable.
This table below is another of my favourite pieces. Firstly, who doesn't love hexagons, and secondly, doesn't it remind you of a pergola or maybe part of a church? I would love to own this side table.
And, now, this console table below reminds me of a ghost, or someone covered in a sheet pretending to be a ghost. It looks a bit like you draped your console table in a very thick dust sheet, and while it is quite a bulky design, it might just work. It looks like a console table is pretending to be a ghost. I am not sure I'd choose to have this in my house, but I like that it is quite fun, and it really is a statement piece. Sculptural.
The next table, shown below, is another interesting use of rattan, where that thick stem ripples around. I love this one; it is playful and clean.
Have a look at this Soane wallpaper and matching bed sheets.
Lulu definitely has great style, so great that Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson chose her to design the interior of a renovated number 10 Downing Street..... As the article in House and Garden says, Soane's designs are 'elegant, playful and thoughtful', and definitely very British for better or for worse.
All photos taken from the Soane website: