Tom Raffield Full Circle garden stand 2020 – Illustration by Callum Kiss.
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Tom Raffield brings spiralling steam bent ‘Full Circle Garden Stand’ with thought-provoking woodland regeneration planting scheme to Chelsea Flower Show’s Main Avenue, whilst shining a light on the importance of reducing the human impact on the planet through caring for nature, sustainable design practises and promoting a conscious lifestyle.
Returning to this years’ prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show with two five-star trade stand awards under their belt, Tom Raffield’s eye-catching and architecturally inspiring Full Circle garden stand innovatively tells the story of how the brand’s steam bent designs come to life; from tree, to wood steamer, to finished piece.
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“We are delighted to be working alongside acclaimed garden designer John Ward and partnering with The Tree Council and specialist wood supplier Beach Bros on this exciting project that has the careful consideration of our planet at the helm. The collaboration of high-quality sustainable materials, ecological-steam bending processes and the beauty of nature creates something we hope is truly original. Our Full Circle Garden Stand seeks to highlight the importance of actively caring for and nurturing the natural world that surrounds and inspires us.” - Tom Raffield, Founder and Designer.
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Designed and handcrafted in Cornwall, the Main Avenue masterpiece captures the essence of Tom Raffield’s world-renowned steam bent aesthetic and demonstrates how the brand have reinvented the low-energy, ancient craft for twenty-first century purpose. Featuring an impressive, intricately spiralling bench exquisitely handcrafted from over 100 meters of timber, and integrated pavilion that houses Raffield’s iconic homeware designs, each carefully considered component works in harmony to showcase how beautifully pliable and dynamic wood can be when manipulated by force.
Steam bent using high-quality, partially seasoned hard wood transparently sourced and supplied by Beach Bros Limited, the fluid form of the peeling oak bench appears to evolve out of the surrounding undergrowth and trees, symbolising Tom Raffield’s synergy with and connection to nature. Meandering its way through the ‘woodland regeneration’ meadow garden, expertly designed in collaboration with RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medallist, John Ward, the bench depicts how plentiful natural materials have the ability to both inspire design and become physical resources that don’t cost the earth.
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Hoping to convey the importance of choosing the right species for the right spaces, the carefully curated planting scheme, supplied by The Tree Council, features an array of natural looking British native plants, foliage, trees and saplings selected for their positive ecological influence and wildlife enhancing properties. Silver birch, hazel and oak trees interspersed by pockets of indigenous woodland-esque species such as ferns, ivy and woodruff surround the pavilion creating a sculptural effect, whilst the brand’s biophilic-inspired Green Range Planters summon nature inside the space to highlight the importance of connecting with nature and plants in the modern-era.
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Inside the pavilion itself, a curated range of Tom Raffield’s bestselling designs, each of which responds intuitively to the outdoor space, close the loop between raw materials and the final product. Amongst the nature-inspired range, which challenges modern throwaway culture and calls for its consumers to see the relevance of their purchasing decisions and invest in high-quality heirlooms of the future, sits Tom Raffield’s collection of newly launched ash wood accessories, popular Comber Lighting Range and core collection of iconic and sustainably designed, statement lighting and furniture pieces.
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Celebrating the underrated beauty, differentiation and elasticity of wood, Tom Raffield’s prestigious Main Avenue Full Circle stand joins the brand’s highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke steam bent projects. Instantly recognisable, Tom Raffield’s work can also be admired during Show Week at Tom Massey’s biodiverse ‘Organic Yeo Valley Garden’ in the shape of an interactive steam bent egg-shaped pod, which suspends its guests over the Show Garden’s wetland habitat to provide a bird’s eye view.
"Partnering with Tom Massey and Yeo Valley is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our creativity, sustainable ethos and unique steam bending technique. Our experimental outlook combined with our ground-breaking design process gives us the capability to create complex curves on a large scale and offer a bespoke service to our clients. We are looking forward to seeing the visitors to this year's show enjoy using it as much as we did making it!" - Tom Raffield, Founder and Designer.
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Tree Council
The Tree Council is one of the UK's leading tree charities and aspires to arm organisations, government, communities and individuals with the knowledge and tools to create positive, lasting environmental change at a national and local level.
https://treecouncil.org.uk/
John Ward
Drawing on his passion for sustainable design and native British planting, critically acclaimed Garden Designer and RHS Gold Medallist John Ward has played an influential role in deciding the Tom Raffield ‘Full Circle Garden Stand’ planting scheme.
https://www.azaralandscapes.com/design
Beach Bros Limited
Supplying a comprehensive range of high-quality hardwoods for their steam bending processes, Beach bros Limited are independently certified by the Forest Steward Council meaning all of the timber provided for every element of the Tom Raffield ‘Full Circle Garden Stand’ has been sustainably sourced from responsibly managed forests.
http://www.beachbros.co.uk/
Meet Tom and the team at Chelsea Flower Show MA330. 18 – 23rd May 8am – 8pm.
Please contact media@tomraffield.com for more information.
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