Robin Day 1915-2010

Although everyone at naughtone is sad that one of our true design heroes Robin Day has died, we think that Robin epitomises someone who has squeezed every last bit of fun and accomplishment out of his long life! Some of our design team have had the pleasure of working with Robin within the last 10 years and although at this point he was in his late 80's, Robin was still as passionate and meticulous as when he was self confessed 'obsessed' with seating at the start of his career. We will miss Robin who is undoubtedly one of Britain's most successful ever designers, but we're happy that his legacy and products (one of which I'm sitting on now) will live on.

Read the guardian's recent obituary for Robin Day.

naughtone gets a summer healthcheck

Summer is upon us and for many of us it is the season for getting into shape and personal wellbeing. Until recently, health centres have been associated with sterile and soulless places. But naughtone have enjoyed working alongside some of the UK’s most forward thinking healthcare developers who understand the benefits of good design and the impact that humanising spaces can have on the healing process.

At Redcar primary trust naughtone worked closely with the designers to provide a well designed, comfortable yet flexible interior space. Hush was chosen not only for its unique design aesthetic but its encompassing sides offer all round support and comfort for its users.

The space is complimented by the pollen stool range which can be arranged into numerous configurations depending on the requirement. The pieces were finely upholstered in Kvadrat scuba which has the waterproof and hygiene credentials of faux leather with the quality of a top grade fabric.

naughtone live at the O2

naughtone worked closely with JHP who were appointed by O2 to design a new store concept for the telecoms company. The naughtone Portion sofa was specified for the ‘lounge areas’ to create an environment that seamlessly links the worlds of the contemporary home and future technology; without alienating the everyday customer.
The final retail concept has helped O2 distinguish itself from its competitors by providing a comfortable, stylish setting which has helped to demystify the complex technology that it provides. The concept has been met with a great response and is now undergoing its 2nd phase of national deployment, soon to be heading to a high street near you!

naughtone performs at the Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall has opened the doors to a new venue, the transformed Elgar Room.

The multi-purpose venue required an interior refurb to match the first-class standards of the building’s more renowned Hall spaces. By day the venue serves as a chic and contemporary restaurant. And by night as an alternative music venue for any occasion.

The unique brief required careful consideration for furniture pieces that offer high quality British style yet are compact and easy to remove when required. naughtone’s Gloria chair was handpicked due to its elegant frame and bold, colourful upholstery options. The final result is a family of furniture pieces that provide striking splashes of colour and sophistication to contrast with the Hall’s neutral décor.

“The stylish and contemporary design of the Gloria chair is a perfect compliment to the Elgar Room, with the ability to stack providing the flexibility required for the various event layouts,”

Jen Mills, Royal Albert Hall Building Projects Manager

The chairs now sit beneath artworks of previous great artists who have performed at the Hall, including John Lennon, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Luciano Pavarotti, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. Special attention was paid to the fabric colours to accentuate the impact of the artworks and increase the overall grandeur of the space which we are proud to support.

FX Award for Best Public Sector

naughtone would like to congratulate Hampshire County Council for winning the FX Public Sector award. The winning project: Wellstead Primary School features naughtone’s very own trace table collection and radius modular sofa range. The project is situated on the site of an old farm in the heart of a housing development and provides 210 places for primary aged children. Recently praised as a true collaboration and a real understanding of a school through the eyes of a child. Well done!

Bold, New Hotel Interior

Recently naughtone worked in conjunction with architectural interiors specialists Occa design to create a bold new interior for the UK’s newest Express By Holiday Inn.
The Portion sofa was specified due to its distinctive curved back and luxurious button seat detail. Constrained to a predominately monotone pallet, Occa introduced striking acid tone highlights to complement the building’s minimalist architecture.
Fabrics were carefully chosen to accentuate the colour and texture to provide a dramatic atmosphere that is not often found in branded hotels.
The result is a fresh and funky scheme, with stunning interiors that are bold and fresh in design. The project is an excellent example of how versatile the Portion sofa really can be. With subtle dark colours the portion’s shape can add personality to any formal area. For more relaxed areas, bright colours and button detailing can be introduced to create a unique, playful piece which invites you to sit and enjoy its unique, modern British styling.
naughtone works with special customers with discerning taste. This is one reason for us seeing so many fantastic fabric specifications for our upholstered products. The pictured result is what appears to be meticulous bespoke upholstery, but the reality is that this is a standard product from naughtone and it only takes a little imagination to create your personal gem.

UK’s leading low carbon development

naughtone, has teamed up with the UK’s leading low carbon residential development, Greenhouse in Leeds, to design the ultimate green living experience. Greenhouse, which was recently named as the country’s ‘Green Residential Development of the Year’ at the annual Estates Gazette Green awards, is breaking the boundaries of design and technology to create an environment of sustainable behaviour for its residents. Every element of design and build at Greenhouse has been undertaken to maximise the development’s sustainable potential including furniture packages and kit-out of the newly unveiled show apartments.“We believe that no compromise on design ever has to be made in order to minimize environmental impact. All of our products for Greenhouse have been designed and manufactured within 20 miles of the development. Our Yorkshire manufacturing supports the local economy and reduces manufacturing miles to an absolute minimum. Key materials in the furniture collection include solid hardwood frames which provide high quality construction and are supplied from FSC certified forests. The fabric upholstery is 100% wool, supplied within 10 minutes of the factory and is fully renewable and compostable. The majority of the furniture pack uses components which meet ISO 14001. This is a British standard for identifying and controlling the environmental impact of a company’s activities, products and services.”
When the scheme is completed, the combined unique green technologies means that it will use less energy than it creates. Director of Citu, Chris Thompson, said; “”We have addressed sustainability at every step along the way and the furniture packs are no exception. Naughtone has a superb reputation for their groundbreaking design and commitment to the green agenda and we are delighted to showcase their work at our scheme.”