Tables

Variations on themes:

Please scroll down the page to see the various themes, each in their separate slide show. Different dimensions are usually available to pieces made to commission. Prices are available on application. Please email gallery@sladersyard.co.uk or call 01308 459511 with any enquiries.

Steam bent rings

In 2002 Petter was awarded the Arts Council Commissions Fund to design and develop a ring-making engine to steam bend tight curves in solid hardwood.  His workshop is unique in its ability and experience in creating these lyrical, stable and strong components.  However such ambitious steam bending is high risk. The timber must be flawless to withstand the pressure.  Complicated jigs and formers must be built to bend and dry the components successfully.  When you buy one of these apparently simple designs, you buy something truly exceptional with the integrity of solid hardwood where the grain of the wood has been bent to run with the curve in all its natural beauty and individuality.

Steam bent curves and twists

Slatted constructions

Petter Southall’s slatted constructions take one shaped component and repeat it, alternating it with shadow and air and light to create something that is endlessly fascinating to the eye.  Strong, light and semi-transparent, the components are practical as well as visually striking.  Made in a stacked construction at the joints, they are fixed with copper boat rivets and very little glue, cutting down on emissions and ensuring longevity, as well as giving the distinctive and decorative boatbuilding reference.

Petter’s first commission after graduating from Hooke Park College in 1991 was an Arched Table and a set of chairs for the sculptor Dame Elisabeth Frink.   The Why Table can be made very big and is also a good design for conservatories and places where the temperature is likely to vary a great deal, as it is built to expand and contract.

 

Cut Constructions

In his cut constructions, Petter selects stunning timber and allows the beauty of the wood to speak for itself.  While the shapes and construction look satisfyingly simple, the proportions and detailing make these pieces exceptionally attractive.  Leaving aside elaborate and ambitious techniques, these are some of Petter’s most affordable pieces which still show the essential qualities of good design.