JUBILEE – Drum roll please
Passionate about traditional trades and maintaining classical upholstery techniques, Shaun Brownell and his team of tailors, seamstresses, frame makers and upholsterers at RhubarbChairs work to bring Shaun’s creative visions to life. As a committed recycler he rails against “our throwaway society”, taking the time to consider the materials he’s using and upcycling at every opportunity. Originally trained as an aeronautical engineer, Shaun was taught to repair, restore and recreate rather than replace. He credits his mother for his creative flair as it was, she who encouraged him to be different from the rest.
In marrying the perfect antique or ‘retired’ chair with the ideal design, subtly revealing its own history, the exquisitely tailored creations become not only a functional piece of furniture, but a piece of art. Brownell says “Every piece has to have the correct surrealistic form; the chairs have to look like someone is still wearing them – I try to recreate the pieces with that surrealism still present. A client brought in her late father’s uniform and asked me to incorporate it into a chair — It is now a piece of furniture with real memories. I want my clients to enjoy the ownership of the creation as much as I’ve enjoyed the process of creating it.”
Since 2013, the Sussex-based, Shaun Brownell has been creating unique one-off pieces of functional furniture art. While many now reside in homes, exclusive galleries and hotels throughout the world, Shaun remains committed to his original ethos of every creation being entirely unique. Not wanting to let a once in a lifetime occasion such as the Platinum Jubilee go unmarked, RhubarbChairs have created a highly anticipated piece of work, the exquisitely designed Platinum Jubilee Celebration Chair.
Platinum Jubilee Celebration Chair
The handmade bespoke chair frame recreates the surrealistic pose of a Coldstream Guard Drummer. Using an original tunic with fitted regalia, the upholstered seat also features navy blue piped Melton wool. The exacting detail, synonymous with RhubarbChairs’ designs, features four hand-turned wooden ball legs symbolising drumsticks. Completing the creation is a fitted matching navy-blue Melton neck roll suitably embellished with bespoke Platinum Jubilee embroidery. A truly unique masterpiece priced at: £7,070. A substantial donation from the sale of the piece will be made to assist in the rescue and care of the dogs in Ukraine.
This is not the first time RhubarbChairs has celebrated a royal event, in 2018 a pair of bespoke chairs were created called the Royal Couple, as a nod to the pending nuptials of Prince Harry to Megan Markle.
Eclectic masterpieces
The Hamilton Chair, was created in honour of Hamilton the Musical. It featured an eclectic mix of royal purple and ivory velvet, tailored to portray the historical uniform sported by statesman and one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, Alexander Hamilton. Another eclectic masterpiece was The Peaky Blinders Chair created from an Edwardian wingchair lovingly reworked into the attire of a gentleman from the grittiness of post-war England. The fitted suit and waistcoat were accessorised with an antique 18ct rolled gold Albert pocket watch chain and shield dating from the 1910 era. Its black wooden legs had leather boot piping detail and vintage enamel ace playing card badges.
“At RhubarbChairs we like to think behind and beyond the obvious, resulting in inimitable furniture designs that reveal a piece of history alongside a captivating narrative.”
Visit the RhubarbChairs website to see the entire collection or to get in touch, if you have your own piece of history which you’d like to see transformed into an iconic piece of furniture.
www.rhubarbchairs.com / www.rhubarbart.com
