Today, I’m showcasing one of my favourite contemporary designers; Simon Pengelly. He is a multi award-winning furniture, product and home interior designer. It seems furniture making is in his blood and design in his upbringing. He was honing his talents in his father’s workshop at the age of eight and had won national cabinet making competitions by the age of 15. Formal training at Kingston Polytechnic followed and just five years after graduating, Pengelly launched his own design practice.
Modern Simplicity
I love the minimalist quality of Simon Pengelly’s work. The designer has said himself that he prefers classic, quiet design; “Quietness, possibly above all else, is a quality the best products possess. They don’t follow trend but rather have a character born of thoughtful regard to function, materiality, environment, intuitiveness and familiarity, without the need to shout.” – Pengelly. I can’t help but agree with his sentiments.
Indeed, the majority of Pengelly’s furniture designs are tantalisingly simple; sleek lines, neutral hues and humble materials. There is no fuss, no thrill, just elegance and purpose.
I used Pengelly’s Bernard chair, designed for Modus, in a modern family home interiors project. Seen here in red fabric coupled with Designer’s Guild cushions.
During the 1990’s Simon designed for Habitat. He worked anonymously as part of the design team for years but in 1999 he finally launched a collection under his own name. Radius is simple, adaptable to any home and above all, necessary. It is the most successful range Habitat has ever produced. I’ve used furniture from this fantastic collection in my own projects. You can see the Radius table and chairs at play in the dining room of this modernist bungalow.
What I find most fascinating about Pengelly is that, despite his history as a hands-on maker, he is an advocate for mass production. However, Simon’s vision of mass production contains the elements of craft, skill and quality not often associated with manufacturing today.
Home Interior Design
In addition to furniture and product design, Pengelly also dabbles in world-class home interior design. Is there no end to his talents? His interiors embody the same principles as his products; quiet functionality and iconic simplicity.
His work in this field includes the small but perfectly formed Office Pod, a home office alternative that can be erected in the garden (something I could certainly do with). In a remarkable departure from quaint home offices,
Pengelly also designed the interiors for Virgin Atlantic’s new upper class suites; sadly I haven’t quite had the chance to experience those yet.Simon Pengelly is an accomplished designer, master craftsman and all-round multitasking genius. You can find out more about him here.
