Young designer reinventing simple pieces of furniture

When I discover a special design of an ordinary and perhaps even banal piece of furniture, I want to find out as much as possible about the person who made it. That's how I discovered Jan Waterston, a young designer, more self-taught than educated, who discovered his passion by chance and has now, at 30, won a host of awards and is already considered a name in furniture design in England.

In fact Jan is not a designer but an inspired carpenter, a very talented furniture maker, so as there are many in our country. She took a fine arts course at one point, but never thought she would end up using that knowledge. Before discovering her passion, she travelled extensively and worked in various fields. At one point he was involved in setting up a stand at a furniture fair and was very impressed by how beautiful some of the pieces were, real works of art. It was the event that shaped his destiny.

He immediately enrolled at Rycotewood Furniture Oxford, an internationally renowned centre of excellence that has had a stable reputation in the furniture industry for over 80 years. This gave him the necessary knowledge of furniture design and construction and allowed him to unleash his native imagination and talent.

His works are the result of the questions he asks himself. "Can I twist it? Can I bend it? How will he react? How do I reinterpret an idea that didn't work before?" He tries to find out the answers to the questions by letting them guide him. Even if he starts from a plan, it is not the definitive one, the plan undergoing changes depending on how the wood responds to his intentions. Many times his experiences have also led him to make mistakes and he has had to start all over again. But he learned from this too. He understood that if he cut wrong he can't fix it, if he dropped a tool and scratched the wood he has to start over if he wants things to turn out perfectly.

Jan Waterston has managed to attract attention with some outstanding works. Among them are the Velo chair and rocking chair, inspired by modern bicycles. The parts of the seat have continuity, they surround you and feel like they mould themselves to your comfort. Jan has transformed a by definition static object into a dynamic piece of furniture. Everything was handmade, from ash wood and with minimal joints, no added elements.

Another interesting piece is the cupboard that looks like a wooden sculpture. You can't see the doors or the drawers so at first glance you can't believe it's a wardrobe.

Here too, the wood is shaped to inspire fluidity and dynamism. It is a beautiful, innovative object that satisfies the need for beauty and utility in equal measure.

The Lebanese cedar and cherry wood console, the wenge and ash desk or the tall cabinet that harmoniously combines cherry wood with walnut, elm and rosewood are also remarkable. Clever solutions, simplicity when wood has a lot to say, as in the case of wenge, are the strengths of this young designer who will surely be heard from again. I'll leave you to admire his work and urge you not to overlook the beauty and correctness of the joints.