Design platform Slancha has curated Under One Roof, a furniture and homeware exhibition in Glasgow that spotlights 14 up-and-coming Scottish designers.
The inaugural exhibition from Slancha, which is run by designers Findlay MacDonald and Harvey Everson, presented a hand-picked selection of furniture, ceramics and lighting pieces united by an emphasis on materiality and form.
MacDonald and Everson were prompted to curate the exhibition after visiting Milan design week and observing Scotland’s comparative lack of a cohesive design community, despite the exceptional work being produced by local makers.
“The more exhibitions and shows like this that happen in Scotland, the more people will start to see the vibrant design scene emerging here,” MacDonald told Dezeen. “We’re excited to be part of that movement.”
Among the pieces on display as part of Under One Roof was Nicholas Davis’s Fireside Chair, crafted using African sapele timber.
The chair features a durable structure and bold graphic silhouette, informed by the designer’s background studying graphic design at the Glasgow School of Art before pivoting to furniture.
“The Fireside Chair is a great example of contemporary design in Scotland, with a distinctive Scandi-Scot influence,” MacDonald said, adding that Davis’s practice exemplifies “exceptional craftsmanship and eye-catching forms”.
Oliver Spendley utilised locally sourced materials from his base in Durness – a small village on the north coast of Scotland – to create his Endless Orbit collection.
The totemic sculptures are made using discs of Scottish timber, fitted onto Lewisian gneiss stones to suggest a celestial object and its orbit.
“Each timber base is hand-finished with precision, alternating between sleek and textured surfaces,” said MacDonald.
“This careful attention to detail reflects the natural textures found in our environment, from the undulating ripples of rivers to the layered patterns of tidal sands.”
Other pieces in the exhibition that pay homage to nature include the Vessel IX vases from SHY Design, a Glasgow-based studio exploring the emotional connection between user and object.
Crafted from scagolia – a plaster typically used for surface decoration – the vases feature expressive forms with craggy rock-like surfaces.
“SHY nod to material origins, first building their pieces into strong simple architectural forms before unexpectedly carving into and destructing the surfaces to create new forms and reveal the patterns laced below,” MacDonald said.
Fluid Screen by ceramicist Frances Ross is a divider comprised of 72 translucent Parian porcelain tiles set within an ash frame, which diffuse light and shift in colour to resemble flowing liquid.
And Greenlaw-based Richard Goldsworthy, whose work celebrates the inherent beauty of the natural world, contributed a sculpture crafted from charred walnut and pewter.
Also included in the exhibition was furnituremaker Laurence Veitch’s piece Kiko, designed in collaboration with architect Dafni Michalaki, which features a vernacular form inspired by graffiti.
Similar themes lie in the work of Glasgow-based Charles Myatt, including his Lichen Stone assemblage crafted from lime, silica and cement that takes cues from urbanism and the materiality of cities.
The exhibition also presented works by Rory Middleton, Neal Cameron, Calum Bettison, Ruth Mae Martin, James Grossman, Ruth Elizabeth Jones and an oak and aluminium table by the Slancha founders.
MacDonald and Everson hope that Under One Roof can help the Scottish design movement continue to grow.
“This event has brought such an energy to the designers and the local design scene,” MacDonald said. “We’ve had so many people express a desire for more events like this, which really highlights there’s a strong appetite for design in Scotland.”
“Our hope is to keep building on this collective energy, maintaining the momentum while inspiring more people to design and create here in Scotland.”
Under One Roof took place at Stallan Brand’s gallery space in Glasgow from 6th July to 16th August 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
