New pieces from Paddy Pike

I get really excited when I see designers that I've collaborated in the past creating new and exciting projects. As you will probably remember, back in May 2019, I posted an interview with Paddy Pike featuring two amazing pieces. Paddy Pike is an emerging London-born designer, who started designing high-end furniture in 2012, and released his first collection in 2019. He is also running a furniture based Instagram page that has over 130k followers, posting daily @paddy.designs . Over the years, Paddy has worked with many influential product and interior designers and this, along with the constant inspiration he finds via research for his Instagram, has enabled him to develop a unique eye for furniture design and curation. With a background in engineering, his pieces have a continuing theme of structural complexity, which Paddy develops closely with various artisans. The latest additions to his collection are a series of hatstands and jute rugs. His hatstand bases are crafted using a steel plate to provide maximum stability and topped with a design made exclusively from the finest New Zealand wool.

The stand itself is made from a blackened steel tube sporting a slight bend to ensure the balance is always central. The hatstand’s balls and rotating components are made from patinated brass which tips its cap to mid 20th century design. The hangers rotate 360 degrees to allow the user total accessibility when using the stand, introducing a dialogue between user and product.

Paddy’s jute rugs have a unique high and low pile design, developed closely with the rug maker to ensure the knots are tight and the texture is comfortable under foot. They take inspiration from Anni Albers, the American textile artist, as shown through the use of subtle geometry within the rugs. One of jute’s many benefits is that it is a notoriously sustainable material, using substantially less water than cotton. Jute is also a fantastic crop for the local

economy, taking up far less space to grow than its cotton counterpart. Being a mineral-rich crop, it leaves the soil even more fertile than before, allowing local farmers to conserve and reuse the land for other crops. By leaving his jute rugs in their earthy hues, Paddy has chosen to champion the natural beauty of this material.