Last week we headed down the A3 out of London to Lodge Farm in Hampshire to see the new production and design studios that GAZE BURVILL have been working on for the last 2 years or more, since we last visited them when they were mid-move in 2013. It was very special to see our friends of many years – indeed Simon’s wife Caroline and I are childhood friends from our youth spent together in Italy, accomplish such a magnificent operation. Today, as years ago, Gaze Burvill still creates dream furniture from scratch using age-old purpose-grown oak for outdoor furniture and outdoor kitchens. The only difference is that now the operation is on a grand scale – a grand scale which runs like clockwork in their new establishment: Lodge Farm. The operation is impressive, and a large rustic barn close to the large, black designer-corrugated production site, is a perfect setting for their large Broadwalk Oval Oak table (seating 20 or more), and the new Splash Lounge collection, new to the range for the forthcoming Chelsea Flower Show 2015.
Outside the barn a sweep of oak seats and tables is set amongst the brick barns and the outdoor kitchen is in full swing where lunch is being bbque-ed and grilled. This is the A la Carte kitchen, distinguished by its soft curves, tactile materials. This design is an all-new modular kitchen system designed by Gaze Burvill for outdoor use. Following their principle of adhering to the highest standards of design integrity and craftsmanship, only the very finest appliances and components from Wolf and Sub Zero have been sourced, then combined to form an elegant flowing wave.
The signature of the wave and curve in the oak designs runs throughout all the pieces, from tree-seats, to benches, chairs, cloisters seats and even the smallest chair. This perfectly formed miniature of the larger life-size May Throne, is what the apprentices make during their training. The design has brought great acknowledgment to Gaze Burvill for their complex techniques of mortice and tenon jointing as well as their steam bending, creating the finest furniture in the world.
These pieces are made for people who enjoy the quiet pleasure of owning furniture of exceptional comfort, which is made to last, of unique quality and timeless beauty. A full after-care service is also in place to keep the oak clean, and it is also treated to remain waterproof for many years to come.