Sixixis tell us about their approach to furniture

 

“Our approach to business is to be ethical and morally responsible” says Tom Raffield, one third of Sixixis, “Sixixis is all about doing things in new and different ways, developing new methods of using low energy wood such as unseasoned timber”.

 

The other two thirds of Sixixis are Chris Jarratt and Charlie Whinney, who both agree with Tom, “We want to create a unique company combining a modern design approach with traditional materials. We really do love wood, and we want it to compete with modern materials” says Charlie

 

Each of Sixixis bring different skills to the partnership, but they have a common passion for making. Their fledgling business is translating it's sustainable ethos with the launch of a new collection of lampshades and furniture with locally sourced green wood and using innovative steam-bending techniques rather than epoxy glues. “Our approach is to design products and if they can’t be made, to invent the technology to make them work” says Chris, “the lampshades take steam bending onto a smaller scale, which we can achieve with our patented new steam bending techniques” says Tom.

The name Sixixis is a much talked about hard to pronounce name for a business, however Charlie says “it is to do with holistic thinking, it plays on numbers and words, it’s a sum that adds up and it’s a different word and we are a different company”. Their different company recently built a ‘Rolling Summerhouse’, an incredible form built using gridshell technology, that is both a functioning movable summerhouse and a fascinatingly complex object.

 

Sixixis is very much aiming to do things in a new way “we find other makers such as Trannon inspiring, but we want to do things differently” says Chris. Sixixis talk with passion about Thonet and his steam bending inventions of the 1800’s, “Things have gone backwards since Thonet, he was the pioneer, but his work has been replaced by tubular steel and laminates, the people that worked for him were incredible craftsmen” says Charlie, “hopefully we can do things that Thonet did and more, by combining steam bending with a modern design approach”.

 

All three of Sixixis are aware of the difficulties of setting up a new business and are making the most of support from The Princes Trust.  They are adamant they can make their business succeed in Cornwall “There is a strong and growing deign scene, that we feel part of” say’s Tom.

 

 

Jessie Higginson, March 2006