Furniture and Product Design BA exhibited at the new building
To celebrate the opening of their new buildings, the philanthropic institution Toynbee Hall commissioned two pieces from Cass students. Furniture and Product Design BA were asked to design ‘Furniture for 21C Reformer’ and Textiles Design BA were asked to design a furnishing fabric for the new Artist in Residence accommodation.
Cass Projects worked with Toynbee Hall and Studio tutors to develop the briefs, and to develop the competition specification. Toynbee Hall Chief Executive Graham Fisher chose the competition winner from BA Furniture: James Whittam. James designed ‘Chair 0’, a solid oak chair that also provides a writing surface. The piece is now exhibited in Toynbee’s permanent heritage collection, and James has been commissioned to make further pieces.
BA Textile Design student Denise Lewis won the competition to design a furnishing fabric for the Artist in Residence rooms. Denise’s design, based on Booth’s poverty maps, has now been installed as curtains in the residential rooms. Toynbee Hall was so pleased with the design that they have also used the fabric in communal areas of the building.
Image: Chair 0 by James Whittam
