Patrick Legard on the work

This piece is something I’d planned for some time. As the design of my armchairs develops with each iteration, I wanted to create a standout design that could be replicated while still having a character of its own.

I like to use the materials available to me locally where I can. In this case, I wanted to take a native material and incorporate an old technique to drastically change the aesthetic of a somewhat ‘everyday’ wood. I fumed the chair using ammonia, which reacts with the tannins in the oak to create a beautifully smoky walnut tone.

As with all of my pieces, I like to mix clean lines and symmetry while also leaving some of the facets from my hand tools as a kind of conversation between myself, the piece and the viewer. The hand-carved pattern on the backrest subtly fans out from the centre to further emphasise the form of the chair, which sits on tapered legs, giving it quite an authoritative stance in my eyes.

All these details represent what I find pleasing in everyday form. The detail of each hand-cut chamfer plays a part in the imperfection I like to show.

The hand-carved eyelets in the base are now a recognisable signature of Legard’s design, and so they had to find their way into this piece.