MAGEE 1866 x TOM FAULKNER: IN CONVERSATION AT DESIGN WEEK DUBLIN
This Design Week Dublin, we welcomed furniture designer Tom Faulkner to our South Anne Street store for an evening in conversation with Magee 1866 CEO Patrick Temple. Two very different disciplines, one shared set of values: real materials, honest craftsmanship, and a respect for where things actually come from.
Two Worlds, One Material
On paper, Tom Faulkner and Patrick Temple couldn't come from more different worlds. Tom shapes wood, steel and stone into furniture found in homes and collections across the globe from his workshop in Wiltshire. Patrick spends his days thinking about sheep, wool and the looms that have been weaving in Donegal since 1866. Somewhere between a workshop in London and a mill on the banks of the River Eske, their worlds met, brought together by bainín, Magee's undyed, natural Irish wool.
The Cloud Bench: Where Furniture Meets Bainin
The conversation centred on the Cloud bench, the piece born from this collaboration. Its legs are hammered in bronze and blacksmithed by hand, an ancient process that gives the bench a raw, honest quality Tom felt was a natural match for Irish wool. The name Cloud lends itself to something soft and white, echoing bainín's own undyed, natural character.
Craft, Provenance and Natural Materials
The conversation was moderated by Ruth Griffin where Patrick and Tom explored what provenance actually means in practice, not as a marketing word, but as a question of history, skill and knowledge. Patrick spoke about the heritage of textiles in Donegal, with a history of fabrics woven in Donegal in the Magee Weaving mill for generations and described the many processes his highly skilled team at the mill work on from concept to finished product, from: design through to warping, weaving, mending and finishing. Tom shared his own approach to material selection, and what changes in his process when he knows exactly where something has come from.
An Afternoon in Dublin
Guests gathered in our South Anne Street store for the conversation, surrounded by baskets of wool, moodboards and bainín throws, with the Cloud bench positioned centre stage. It was an event that brought craft and design together in the most literal sense, in one room, in conversation, in front of an audience who care about how things are made.
Discover Tweed by the Metre
Shop the Donegal Tweed and bainín wool at the heart of this collaboration below and discover more about furniture designer Tom Faulker at www.tomfaulkner.com