April 2011

AWARD-NOMINATED ROCKING CHAIR TO BE LAUNCHED AT 'COLLECT'

KATIE WALKER will be launching a new design, the 'Windsor Rocker', at the Crafts Council's 'Collect' exhibition, which will take place between Thursday, May 5 to Monday, May 9, 2011 at the Saatchi Gallery (Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, London SW3 4SQ).

Inspired by traditional Windsor chair-making techniques, the Windsor Rocker is an evolution of the design of Katie's award-winning iconic 'Ribbon Rocking Chair', which won the inaugural Wesley-Barrell award in 2006, went on to have double wins at the Wood Awards and was subsequently named 'Grand Designs Product of the Year' in 2007.

The Windsor Rocker is made of white hard-wax oiled steam bent ash. The ash is from a locally grown sustainable source and, as is traditional with Windsor chair-making, was worked 'green', which means it hasn't been seasoned or kiln dried. It measures 770 mm wide x 1050 mm deep x 850 mm high.

In the last week, the chair has been shortlisted for the third Wesley-Barrell Craft Award and will be included in a touring exhibition before the winner is announced at the end of July.

As Katie said: "I've always had a fascination with traditional skills and I really wanted to know if I could combine the purity of the form of my 'Ribbon' rocking chair with Windsor chair-making techniques. Steam bending such long pieces of ash required some rapid evolution of a centuries old method but I'm thrilled with the result - a minimisation of the same form that is unbelievably strong."

Katie Walker Furniture worked with James Mursell of the Windsor Workshop in the development of this piece. James is a well respected expert in Windsor chair-making and was keen to see how far the technique could be pushed.

The Windsor rocking chair can be ordered at Collect or purchased direct from Katie Walker Furniture for £3,445.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Katie Walker is a graduate of London's Royal College of Art where she developed her approach of combining fine art and sculpture with practical furniture design, the results of which have now become highly collectable. Assisted by the Crafts Council and some significant commissions from a corporate client, she established Katie Walker Furniture in 1994. Today, Katie creates pieces for domestic, corporate and public settings. The most well known piece in her collection is the iconic Ribbon Rocking Chair which won the 2006 Wood Awards, the inaugural Wesley Barrell Craft Award and the 2007 Grand Designs Awards. Her work has been covered in a number of publications including the "International Design Yearbook 1998" edited by Richard Sapper, "A Celebration of Excellence" by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, "Bespoke" by Betty Norbory and "One Tree" by Garry Olson and Peter Toaig. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of Design Nation and a member of Contemporary Applied Arts, Katie holds five Guild marks from Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers. Her work is sold through the New Art Centre, Roche Court and Contemporary Applied Arts in Percy Street, London and she lives in West Sussex.

For further information on Katie Walker Furniture

please visit www.katiewalkerfurniture.com or call +44 7747 615323.

For further media information and images

please contact Rachel Aked at rachel@rachelaked.co.uk or +44 7790 732448


April 2011 AWARD-NOMINATED ROCKING CHAIR TO BE LAUNCHED AT 'COLLECT' KATIE WALKER will be launching a new design, the 'Windsor Rocker', at the Crafts Council's 'Collect' exhibition, which will take place between Thursday, May 5 to Monday, May 9, 2011 at the Saatchi Gallery (Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, London SW3 4SQ). Inspired by traditional Windsor chair-making techniques, the Windsor Rocker is an evolution of the design of Katie's award-winning iconic 'Ribbon Rocking Chair', which won the inaugural Wesley-Barrell award in 2006, went on to have double wins at the Wood Awards and was subsequently named 'Grand Designs Product of the Year' in 2007. The Windsor Rocker is made of white hard-wax oiled steam bent ash. The ash is from a locally grown sustainable source and, as is traditional with Windsor chair-making, was worked 'green', which means it hasn't been seasoned or kiln dried. It measures 770 mm wide x 1050 mm deep x 850 mm high. In the last week, the chair has been shortlisted for the third Wesley-Barrell Craft Award and will be included in a touring exhibition before the winner is announced at the end of July. As Katie said: "I've always had a fascination with traditional skills and I really wanted to know if I could combine the purity of the form of my 'Ribbon' rocking chair with Windsor chair-making techniques. Steam bending such long pieces of ash required some rapid evolution of a centuries old method but I'm thrilled with the result - a minimisation of the same form that is unbelievably strong." Katie Walker Furniture worked with James Mursell of the Windsor Workshop in the development of this piece. James is a well respected expert in Windsor chair-making and was keen to see how far the technique could be pushed. The Windsor rocking chair can be ordered at Collect or purchased direct from Katie Walker Furniture for £3,445. NOTES TO EDITORS: Katie Walker is a graduate of London's Royal College of Art where she developed her approach of combining fine art and sculpture with practical furniture design, the results of which have now become highly collectable. Assisted by the Crafts Council and some significant commissions from a corporate client, she established Katie Walker Furniture in 1994. Today, Katie creates pieces for domestic, corporate and public settings. The most well known piece in her collection is the iconic Ribbon Rocking Chair which won the 2006 Wood Awards, the inaugural Wesley Barrell Craft Award and the 2007 Grand Designs Awards. Her work has been covered in a number of publications including the "International Design Yearbook 1998" edited by Richard Sapper, "A Celebration of Excellence" by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, "Bespoke" by Betty Norbory and "One Tree" by Garry Olson and Peter Toaig. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of Design Nation and a member of Contemporary Applied Arts, Katie holds five Guild marks from Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers. Her work is sold through the New Art Centre, Roche Court and Contemporary Applied Arts in Percy Street, London and she lives in West Sussex. For further information on Katie Walker Furniture please visit www.katiewalkerfurniture.com or call +44 7747 615323. For further media information and images please contact Rachel Aked at rachel@rachelaked.co.uk or +44 7790 732448
	katie@kwf.biz www.katiewalkerfurniture.com