We rarely cover furniture here at Clothes-Make-the-Man, but when a friend of ours contacted me and asked me to come down to a launch, I was a little reluctant at first. Until she told me it was a collaborate with one of my favourite bespoke furniture designing duo and my all time favourite tipple, those of course being The Galvin Brothers and Jameson great Irish Whiskey.
Galvin Brothers design and make contemporary handcrafted furniture from their workshops in Beverley, East Yorkshire. The business was formed as a partnership between Matthew Galvin (designer) and Andrew Galvin (joiner) in March 2012 building on their Father’s 61 years of joinery and cabinet making experience. In 2013 they were nominated for the Designer of the Year in Elle Deco’s prestigious British Design Awards. In April 2014 they opened Galvin Brothers: The Shop in their home town Beverley, selling all of their furniture as well as homewares, objects and curiosities.
Their designs celebrate the uniquely wonderful properties of English Oak and other solid woods, placing traditional joinery techniques at the centre of contemporary forms — functional objects with a twist.
The Jameson Works projects are not just what you make, it’s how you make it. Its about sharing the stories and spreading the knowledge of how great work is made in a contemporary setting. This time working to the brief of Form & Function, the Galvin Brothers have created a collection, which sees them working beyond their traditional skillset of furniture making. Inspired by how Jameson makes its whiskey, and by looking carefully at the way in which people consume it, they have created a space that is designed to enhance the drinking experience.
As part of this project Jameson have create an whiskey lover’s paradise, in the Whiskey Den, which provides different ways for drinks to be served with a range of furniture with different functions – some merely for seating, some for the presentation of cocktails and others to create a social enclose and convivial space. Copper pots are also an integral part of the distillation process of Jameson and have inspired part of the design through beautiful copper vessels and ice buckets.
Open until mid-August at The Reverend JW Simpson bar, one of London’s finest cocktail bars. An intimate space with an original design, will serve as the home of The Jameson Works x Galvin Brothers Whiskey Den, before moving on in September to a top secret establishment in Liverpool. This is where the public can experience, unique cocktails and even purchase the bespoke furniture they are sitting on, named The Whiskey Drinking Collection.
