BENCH STUDIO
Designer-maker duo Charlie Haslam (above left) and Ben Bill founded their east London studio in 2019, making bespoke joinery and ready-to-order products How would you describe your design approach? We design a lot of our products through the physical act of making them. We never go into the process completely sure of how the end result will shape up. For example, when we sculpt our chopping boards, the shape of each one takes its own form spontaneously. Each is completely unique, following the natural variations in the grain. We’re passionate about craftsmanship and quality and it’s important to us that we create pieces that will last. What does ‘good’ design mean to you? It strikes a balance between modesty and playfulness. It’s about designing pieces that are both practical and beautiful, which will be used all the time but also cherished.
You make bespoke joinery as well – how do these two parts of your business inform each other? Our bread and butter is joinery work. This finances our tinkering time in the workshop, experimenting and creating new designs. Each bespoke commission is a great opportunity to play with materials and processes and learn something new and interesting to incorporate into future work. What are you working on next? Lighting. We are super excited about our first lamp, coming out this summer, which is a collaboration between Bench and some of our favourite illustrators. The structure is built and designed by us and the shade is a canvas covered in artwork (benchstudio.co.uk).