Every now and again I see something so beautiful, so wonderfully inspired and exquisitely crafted that I catch my breath and have to sit very, very still until my heart stops skipping every other beat. That’s how I felt when I saw these pictures of the Air kitchen by deVOL. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t get much cooking done if I had this beautifully designed and crafted kitchen furniture in my home, but would spend all my time just sitting and gazing around the room in wonder, and probably gently stroking the sleek, perfect curves every so often too.
Paul O’Leary, co-founder of Loughborough-based bespoke kitchen designers and manufacturers deVOL, talks about the inspiration behind the Air range:
“A Flight of Fancy: an imaginative but unworkable idea”
“I like that saying, but I’m not so keen on the definition. “Unworkable” sounds like someone’s opinion to me; one step short of impossible, and I like to think that anything is possible.
At deVOL we have some inspired designers that relish a challenge. We love design and we each have our design hero’s and our favourite iconic designs from the past. If you put a mixture of Serendipity, Flair and good old fashioned common sense into the melting pot and simmer gently for a few months something unique starts to emerge.
This new Air range has got us all excited, we feel like we have brought together lots of interesting materials and forms and we have found a way to do some extraordinary things.
I really wanted it to be curvy, retro, sleek and floaty, reminiscent of some of the most desirable things that I find really emotive; things that my heart wants but my head says I can’t have.
The new Air range tries to emulate some of the most innovative and beautiful creations of the last century, from vintage automobile construction, the simple hulls of working boats, the iconic Airstream caravan or the sensuous Lockhead Lounge chair by Marc Newson. Visually, each inspires a sense of freedom and adventure.”
Above: following the time honoured method of airstream frame construction, rolled aluminium sheets are attached with polished rivets to a laminated curved oak frame. The detailing is beautiful inside and out.
Below: the subtlest of dimples on the finger push opening cabinet doors, which are made of a new generation of recycled material called Hi-MACS. Made up of 70% bauxite bi-product (from aluminum ore) with 25% acrylic resin and 5% natural pigments, it’s coloured all the way through, is warm to the touch, and has a soft, satiny sheen.
You can read more on the deVOL website about the design and construction processes of the Air kitchen, and how their designers and craftsmen overcame the challenges of adapting materials and processes traditionally used in automotive construction and boat building to create these exquisite pieces for the home.
Early this year deVOL moved from central Loughborough to Cotes Mill, an historic 16th century listed water mill on the banks of the River Soar just outside the town, where they have expanded into three floors of showrooms and design offices.
It looks the most idyllic and inspirational setting to work – and to visit to buy a kitchen (they have their Classic and Shaker ranges of kitchen furniture too, as well as a selection of beautifully crafted wooden home accessories).
We hear it said so often these days that “Britain doesn’t make anything any more”. Indisputably, most of the large-scale, traditional industries have all but disappeared, but in their place we have an extraordinary wealth of world-class talent and expertise in smaller scale design and craft-led manufacturing.
One such inspirational example is deVOL; with two local workshops making kitchens for clients throughout the UK, two flooring businesses, a design consultancy, and a staff of 50 made up mostly of local craftsmen and design graduates, deVOL is obviously going from strength to strength. It’s staying true to its roots in design, craftsmanship, and traditional cabinet making and I, for one, can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
Images: devolkitchens.co.uk
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