Sebastian Cox – Award Winning Sustainably Focused Artisan, Craftsman, Woodworker and Designer
Sebastian Cox and his Greenwich based team of designers and makers offer a range of attractive furniture and small household pieces from a series of preconceived collections, with the further opportunity for made to order pieces and artistic and design collaborations between team and client.
Recent collaborations include a cocoon-like desk space for Sir Terence Conran, a stunning piece for Burberry and an award winning kitchen with deVOL.
Since graduating with a BA in Furniture from Lincoln University in 2010 Sebastian has gained a long list of accolades to his name including a Design Guild Mark. Last year he was chosen by Forbes magazine as one of 30 entrepreneurs and tastemakers under the age of 30, defining fashion art and food. This year Sebastian was nominated as a UK Rising Talent Award at the International design show, MAISON ET OBJET in Paris, for his unique and innovative creations.
Sustainability is central to Sebastian’s work, from the almost exclusive use of British native species to milling of London’s fallen trees to the harvesting of traditionally coppiced materials. His other green credentials include listing the cost of his work in carbon terms on his website and the use of natural oils and waxes to preserve his creations.
His interest in the use of coppiced wood, a largely underutilised commodity in the contemporary design market, stems from the benefits to the environment that this traditional woodland management technique innately provides. Managing his own woodland in Kent, Sebastian coppices and harvests native British hardwoods for his design and production purposes. By doing this he aims to increase the commercial viability of this almost infinitely sustainable source of material whist simultaneously encouraging biodiversity.
Sebastian Cox Ltd has been a client of Naturesave’s since 2014 and we are proud to work alongside pioneers such as Sebastian.
Q&A:-
Q1: Tell us what you think makes your business unique?
We opened the doors to our business in 2010 purely as a means to find a commercial, design-led application for a totally renewable material. We were fuelled solely by our sustainable ethos. The design aesthetic and creative direction of Sebastian Cox came after this and I think this approach is what makes us unique.
Q2: What is the thing that you are most passionate about in running your business?
Materials and collaborators. We take a material-led approach to designing and our furniture comes from experimentation with, and an understanding of, the materials we work with and their qualities. In a similar vein, the collaborations we undertake with interesting and creative experts allow us to learn about and explore new materials and new ways of working.
Q3: Can you tell us why you chose to insure with Naturesave?
We insure with Naturesave because we know that by doing so, we’re supporting environmental and conservationist projects throughout the UK. The free Environmental Performance Review is an incredibly useful service which we gained a great deal of value from.
Q4: What do you believe is the single biggest action people can take to reduce their environmental impact? … And can you give us three further actions consumers can make?
We believe a more engaged material culture is a more sustainable material culture. So the single biggest action people can take to reduce their environmental impact is to develop an understanding of the materials in their home. By being more engaged with the material choices they make when furnishing their home, people are likely to choose items which they will love and use for longer, reducing waste.
Three actions we would encourage consumers to make to reduce their environmental impact are to embrace meat-free Mondays, cycle (rather than drive), and use the power of their pound to demonstrate to businesses and government that ethical organisations are successful organisations.
Links:
Website: www.sebastiancox.co.uk. Email studio@sebastiancox.co.uk. Phone: (0)20 8316 5679.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sebastiancoxltd. Twitter: @sebastiancoxltd