DRIFT 49 by Leven Media Group

Exploring the experiential and restorative powers of nature and the elements

A JOURNAL FOR THE DISCERNING

/drift/ noun

1. the act of driving something along

2. the flow or the velocity of the current of a river or ocean stream

verb

1. to become driven or carried along, as by a current of water, wind, or air

2. to move or float smoothly and effortlessly

We invite you to continue your lifestyle voyage online. Find inspiring stories and uncover more luxury content on Instagram @driftcornwall. Join our exclusive e-journal community at drift-cornwall.co.uk to receive recipes, reviews and insider knowledge of some of Cornwall’s most-loved luxury destinations.

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A JOURNAL FOR THE DISCERNING

On the cover

Skincare brand land&water as featured from page 99. Image courtesy of James Bowden. land-and-water.co.uk jamesbowden.net

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PROUD TO BE PART OF

DRIFT is published by:

Engine House Media LTD

Holbrook, The Moors, Porthleven, Cornwall TR13 9JX

www.enginehousemedia.co.uk

www.levenmediagroup.co.uk

ISSN 2632-9891

© All rights reserved. Material may not be re-produced without the permission of Engine House Media Ltd. While DRIFT will take every care to help readers with reports on properties and features, neither Engine House Media Ltd nor its contributors can accept any liability for reader dissatisfaction arising from editorial features, editorial or advertising featured in these pages. Engine House Media Ltd strongly advises viewing any property prior to purchasing or considerations over any ﬁnancial decisions. Engine House Media reserves the right to accept or reject any article or material supplied for publication or to edit such material prior to publication. Engine House Media Ltd cannot take responsibility for loss or damage of supplied materials. The opinions expressed or advice given in the publication are the views of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of

Editor

Hannah Tapping

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Creative Designers

Spencer Hawes

Jamie Crocker

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Charlotte Forster

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Engine House Media Ltd. It is suggested that further advice is taken over any actions resulting from reading any part of this magazine.

Engine House Media Ltd is a multi-platform media business with a passion for everything Cornish. Visit www.enginehousemedia. co.uk to ﬁnd out more. Our mission is to create READ-WATCHEXPERIENCE media opportunities marrying together consumers with the fabulous businesses across Cornwall. Our publishing and marketing teams are specialists in creating print and online communications, devised to achieve a range of marketing objectives. With over 20 years of marketing, brand management and magazine experience we develop eﬀective communications that deliver your message in a credible and creative way. We operate across all media channels, including: print, online and video.

TEAM

Foreword

There is something profound in the way nature ﬁnds balance. In forests, we witness the quiet intelligence of root systems sharing resources across species boundaries. In meadows, we observe how diverse plants create resilience through interdependence. Every ecosystem demonstrates that abundance emerges from reciprocity rather than extraction, each element contributing to the whole while drawing what it needs for growth. We are not separate from the land and sea that surround us, yet in our hurried modern world, we sometimes forget this fundamental truth. But there are hopeful, growing signs that this relationship is shifting. More people are awakening to the ancient wisdom that caring for the land is not an act of charity. Merlin Hanbury-Tenison brings seeds of hope (47), his dream for the future shaping a book that points towards a better world we can all help build. This shift in consciousness is also reﬂected in how we choose to create and consume.

There is a growing hunger for things made with intention, crafted by hands that understand their materials, designed to endure rather than to be discarded. Christian O’Reilly’s beautiful bespoke furniture (27) brings something special to the story of family, selecting each piece of timber with consideration for its grain and character, understanding how it will age and settle over decades of use. We celebrate both the makers who work with such wisdom and the natural forces that inspire them; land&water’s small-batch skin care, created from natural and ethical recipes, works in harmony with the body (99) and is born from our shorelines where ideas wash up like driftwood. DRIFT Journal is a call to create and consume with greater intention. Most importantly, it is a reminder that caring for our environment and creating lasting beauty are not separate pursuits, but facets of the same essential practice: learning to live as good ancestors to the generations who will inherit the world we leave behind.

Our contributors

We have an exceptional and loyal team here at Leven Media Group but as a fast-growth business we’re always interested in talking to outstanding individuals. If you’re a superstar of extraordinary talent then we would love to hear from you.

Hannah Tapping

Martin Holman

Mercedes Smith

Jamie Crocker

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At a glance

16 FROM SEA AND SHORE

Rhys Ellis-Davies captures coastal life in myriad forms

27 HANDMADE HISTORIES

Christian O’Reilly’s beautiful bespoke furniture brings something special

39 SEEDS OF HOPE

One man’s dream for the future shapes a book that points towards a better world we can all help build

48 DESIGNER INSPIRED LIVING

Award-winning Now Kitchens, bringing bespoke kitchen design to Cornwall

57 THE TEXTURES OF LIFE

From fashion buyer to ocean artist, Gemma Lessinger’s journey is one that weaves memory and the sea

63 STORIES CARVED AND COLLAGED

Artists at the Yew Tree Gallery explore narrative through clay, wood and print

75 NATURE’S RECOVERY

Using business funding as a powerful tool to help restore the environment

83 WASTE INTO WONDER

Modern marquetry transforms Cornwall’s discarded materials into luxury

91 THE SEASON AHEAD

The summer visitors may have departed, but one gallery is maintaining its momentum

99 BORN ON THE SHORELINE

Small-batch skin care created from natural and ethical recipes which works in harmony with your body

106 A NEW ERA OF LUXURY

Taking a striking stance, Oyster Yacht’s unmistakable iconic styling has elegantly evolved

111 SEDIMENT OF SLEEP

Encounter six artists emerging into prominence on the British art scene who extract fresh perspectives from common ground

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From sea AND SHORE

WORDS BY HANNAH TAPPING

From teaching to surf lifesaving, Rhys Ellis-Davies captures coastal life in myriad forms.

Rhys Ellis-Davies has always taken his teaching further than the traditional four walls of his classroom. With more than three decades in education, he has always looked for ways to make learning tangible, meaningful and connected to the real world. His more recent role as an Outdoor Learning specialist has seen him bring lessons to life in unexpected places, from ﬁelds and forests to the shoreline. A highlight came when he led 120 Year 5 pupils to Newquay Harbour to take part in the RNLI’s Float2Live programme, ensuring children in a coastal community gained essential water safety skills that could one day save lives.

Rhys’ dedication to the sea goes well beyond teaching. He and his partner Jodie actively participate in Holywell Bay Surf Lifesaving Club, where training, coaching and competing are part of their routine. Surf lifesaving is not just a sport for them, it’s about being part of a coastal culture grounded in community and resilience. It is here that his two worlds – education and the ocean – meet, both guided by a respect for the coast and its challenges.

his earliest days with a simple cartridge camera to producing calendars and cards, Rhys has found in photography both a creative outlet and a way to preserve moments that matter. He ﬁrst honed his eye documenting the achievements of his own children in sport, but during the quieter pace of the pandemic years, he turned his lens towards the subtleties of landscape and wildlife. Waiting for light to shift across Holywell Bay or West Penwith taught him patience, while experimenting with long exposures and intentional camera movement opened new avenues of expression.

His photographs often reﬂect the same energy that drives his surf lifesaving. Whether freezing the spray of a breaking wave, framing athletes mid-race, or capturing the stillness of a setting sun, his images speak of a life immersed in saltwater. Asked what he hopes people take from his work, Rhys’s answer is modest: “If a picture makes someone pause, smile or revisit a memory, then that’s a success.” His photographs are about presence, records of moments shaped by the sea and the ever-changing pull of Cornwall’s coast.

Photography has been a constant companion running alongside these pursuits. From

kernowbeach

ABOVE Fulmar, Land’s End

ABOVE

Holywell Bay sillouette

TOP Portreath Harbour

TOP

Exciting ﬁnale of the National 17 girl’s surf race

ABOVE Rosie

Handmade HISTORIES

WORDS BY MERCEDES SMITH

Christian O’Reilly’s beautiful bespoke furniture brings something special to the story of your family.

Christian O’Reilly is one of those craftsmen who has built the dream life, one that balances raising a family in rural Cornwall with his passion for making, and never compromising on the uality of his work. Those things can be a challenge in today’s design world, where the handmade must hold its own against society’s taste for the immediate. But there is change in the air: post-pandemic, the arts are seeing a resurgence of appreciation for the handmade, and a renewed pride in our master craftspeople.

Christian is a maker that the outh West can be especially proud of. He began his career as an apprentice prop maker at the English National Opera, before relocating to Devon to train with acclaimed furniture

designer David avage at Rowden Atelier. Now a highly respected maker in his own right, he specialises in creating beautiful bespoke furniture, one ex uisitely crafted piece at a time, for clients who appreciate the integrity of original ob ects made with skill and precision.

Christian’s studio is located in a uiet rural spot near Marhamchurch on Cornwall’s north coast. When I visit, the ﬁrst thing he shows me, very uietly, is the studio’s letterbox, which houses a family of newly hatched sparrows. A note taped to its front reads ‘Do Not Use This Letterbox, Chicks Inside’. It is a charming metaphor for the daily priorities of a craftsman who values the environment and works only with timbers certiﬁed by the Forest tewardship Council, which supports sustainable forestry practices,

controlled harvesting and the protection of wildlife habitats. Christian is also a member of MA E outhwest’s Green Maker Initiative, launched in 2021 in partnership with the ERDF-funded Low Carbon Devon pro ect at the niversity of Plymouth, which invites makers to pledge to improve their environmental actions through a series of simple commitments year on year.

The interior of Christian’s workshop is as busy as you would expect it to be, with oﬀcuts of wood, curled shavings, sawdust, pencils, paper and a variety of tools strewn everywhere. In the centre of the space, however, Christian’s current work in progress exudes a tran uil presence. It is a beautiful, golden bench made from oak, with sloping, curved and convex surfaces built from multiple sections that exceed my understanding of the mathematics and geometry of master carpentry. The more I look, the more I see the wonderful subtleties of its form, from the way the woodgrain accentuates its curves to the almost imperceptible ﬂuting of its legs. Already three weeks

in development, this piece will take a month’s full-time work before it can be delivered to outh orkshire’s Brodsworth Hall, as commissioned by English Heritage. It is a singular example of the design talent, technical skill, intense labour and huge time commitment inherent in the making of Christian’s bespoke furniture. Over his twenty-year career, he has undertaken numerous commissions like this for clients including the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, ork Art Gallery and Centre of Ceramic Art, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery in Exeter, and National Trust and English Heritage properties, but what he en oys e ually are domestic commissions from private clients.

It’s so rewarding to create statement pieces that will last and be loved in one home by one family, he says, perhaps for generations. That’s uite a privilege, I think. Bespoke furniture, by its very nature, is an important addition to the story of any space, and

INSET

Brodsworth Hall oak bench

ABOVE

Collaborative Meadow’ upholstered Alice’ chair by Christian O’Reilly, Michelle Gri ths and Neil itteridge

to the story of the people who live there. Each piece I make begins with the moment it was rst imagined by my client, and my role is to ta e that thought and turn it into an ob ect that ts seamlessly into their lifestyle and home, as if it had always been there.”

All commissions begin with a consultation between hristian and his clients, and ty ically a visit to the space where the furniture will sit, he says. he scale and style of the architecture, the other objects in the space or the way the light falls in a room, those are all important considerations in designing the erfect piece. Some are even commissioned with one articular erson in mind, he adds, say a dressing table, or a des for a rivate study. n those cases, it is essential to understand my client s e act references in terms of function, and to ma e the iece to their physical proportions.”

ovey racey raft estival in 2 2 , is hristian s much admired Alice Chair. esigned originally for hristian s wife, it is tailored to t her e act measurements and way of sitting, and de nes hristian s ability to balance the e acting qualities of bespoke work with the integrity of heritage craft and the beauty of contem orary design.

olving the client s brief, in a way that ful ls its necessary function but is also beautiful, is the ey to a really impactful piece of wor , says hristian. love that challenge, and the entire rocess of bes o e wor , from that rst consultation to the conce tual drawings, to that moment when discussion and design turn to ma ing, to delivery, when the iece is laced in situ and everything comes together. here s a rhythm to it, and it s incredibly rewarding.

erha s the best e am le of this, as e hibited at outhwest and the

hristian will even document the ma ing of a iece, from s etch to nished wor , as a rinted and bound hoto boo . rst came u with that idea during loc down,

ABOVE lice chair with custom fabric

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he tells me, “when my clients couldn’t come in to the workshop. It seems a lovely way to celebrate the story of a bespoke project.”

The Alice Chair has since inspired other commissions of its type, in various woods and with various types of upholstery. Clients will often have a preferred fabric in mind,” says Christian, “or we can direct them to quality fabric suppliers like Osborne & Little or Designers Guild. Certain patterns and colours can add an extra layer of personality to a bespoke piece of furniture, and really deﬁne it as a standout object in the room.”

Among such stand-out objects is the Meadow

ﬂoral chair Christian made for exhibition at Devon’s MAKE Southwest, in collaboration with Shibori artist Michelle Gri ths and traditional upholsterer Neil itteridge. Each ﬂower was handmade by Michelle, using fabric dyes she created from the shavings of the Sweet Chestnut used to make the chair,” he explains. Unique chairs, Christian tells me, are

always in demand, perhaps because they hold space for those special moments in our day, as places to read, to sit and talk with friends, or simply as sculptural design objects in a quiet corner. We discuss the decadence of a chaise longue, built for beauty and for carelessly thrown clothes, or the family feel of a hallway bench, where wellies are pulled oﬀ or mittens pulled on. Furniture, we agree, absorbs love and memory, and is therefore the most important of all heirlooms.

People often talk to me about the joy of inheriting a treasured piece of furniture, and all the memories they associate with it. Objects that are passed down through families are so important because they connect us to the people who commissioned or came to own them. That is essentially what people are acquiring when they commission work from me. They are bringing something special not just to their home, but to the history of their family.”

christianoreilly.com

Seeds HOPE of

WORDS BY JAMIE CROCKER

One man’s dream for the future shapes a book that points towards a better world we can all help build.

The announcement arrived at nine o’clock on a Tuesday morning in August: Merlin Hanbury-Tenison’s debut book, Our Oaken Bones, had been shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize. For a ﬁrst-time author who never studied English beyond GCSE level, this recognition represents something extraordinary. Yet his journey to published author began not in lecture halls or writing workshops, but in the harsh realities of three military deployments to Afghanistan, where a young soldier’s certainties about war and righteousness slowly crumbled.

“I was 21 years old and brainwashed, he reﬂects of his ﬁrst tour, using a term that might surprise those expecting conventional military pride.

“The whole point of military training is to make you think that your army is the best and greatest. But by my third tour, I was working closely with the Afghans and the Taliban and I began to realise that we were all the same. We were just looking at the world through a diﬀerent mirror.

This realisation – that warfare achieves nothing beyond building political careers while damaging both nations involved –fundamentally shifted Merlin’s worldview. The contrast between the trillion dollars spent over 20 years in Afghanistan and what might have been achieved through schools, dams, and educational programmes became a recurring theme in his thinking about systemic change.

INSET

Our Oaken Bones by Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, Ebury (RRP £22)

TOP LEFT

Where folklore and childhood tales abound

TOP RIGHT

The Bedalder

ABOVE

The ‘Mother Tree’

TOP LEFT Merlin and his father, Robin

TOP RIGHT

The Hanbury-Tenison ‘family’

Now running a charity – the Thousand Year Trust– and managing a temperate rainforest in Cornwall, Merlin has channelled these hard-won insights into his debut book, a meditation on nature restoration that deliberately avoids the traditional environmental extremes. Unlike the radical approach of writers like George Monbiot – whom he deeply respects but doesn’t entirely follow – he advocates for what he calls “the course somewhere down the middle.”

“We need to break a bit in order to stop destroying the natural world,” he explains, “but do we need to break everything? Do we need to totally tear up the system that’s been running for a few hundred years now?” His answer, shaped by witnessing the traumatic consequences of sudden regime change in multiple countries, is decidedly no.

This measured approach extends to his writing philosophy; he deliberately avoided formal instruction. “I believe that all of these courses inevitably push people towards a common standard,” he argues. “What makes writing beautiful when you read people like Robert Macfarlane is that they have a very distinctive, unique style. So I’ve tried to write how it feels normal, how I would speak.”

The strategy appears to have worked. Readers consistently tell him the book captures his speaking voice perfectly, a quality that emerges from his conviction that authenticity trumps technical perfection. This philosophy reﬂects a broader criti ue of modern education systems that prioritise calculus over cooking, engineering over home economics – a shift that Merlin sees as contributing to everything from obesity rates to environmental destruction.

The book’s central thesis revolves around what he calls “the job of a farmer” – though he believes the terminology itself needs updating. “They need to be land stewards,” he insists. “Ecosystem services plus timber production, plus food production, plus beautiful places that people spend time.” This multifaceted role becomes crucial when examining Britain’s stark agricultural statistics: twenty-two per cent of UK land is used for sheep farming, yet provides less than one per cent of our calories.

uch ﬁgures fuel Merlin’s argument that Britain’s food security concerns are largely misplaced. We produce ﬁfty-eight per cent of our food. We waste one-third of all food produced. Sixty-four per cent of people are overweight or obese. We don’t have an issue with food production. We have

an issue with food wastage and choice.”

The solution involves shifting towards predominantly plant-based diets with occasional local meat consumption –not through heavy-handed legislation, but through education and subsidy reform that reﬂects true environmental costs.

This pragmatic environmentalism stems partly from his military experience with sudden systemic change. Farming already has one of the highest suicide rates in the UK, he notes. Tearing up the current system overnight would likely worsen this tragedy. Instead, he envisions change happening across generations, embodied in his concept of ‘the thousand-year project.’

approaches, though he’s careful to ground it in practical considerations.

“How do we recapture that connection in line with a global capitalist community?” he asks. “Can we go away from idolising some ﬁctional sky god and start idolising the ground beneath our feet? But do it in a way that doesn’t mean we have to tear up the whole world and all go and live in communes?”

The timeframe isn’t arbitrary. Looking back ﬁve thousand years to when humans began abandoning earth-goddess worship for sky-father religions, he identiﬁes the moment when “we stopped respecting what was beneath our feet and viewing ourselves as self-appointed overlords.”

This spiritual dimension distinguishes his environmentalism from purely technical

This tension between spiritual reconnection and practical systems runs throughout Our Oaken Bones, reﬂecting Merlin’s broader rejection of binary solutions to complex problems. Whether discussing capitalism versus socialism, conservation versus agriculture, or legislation versus education, he consistently seeks middle paths that acknowledge multiple truths simultaneously.

The approach emerges partly from personal experience. His relationship with his father, an explorer often away on expeditions, required similar nuanced navigation. Despite the signiﬁcant age gap and limited

Overlooking Sangin in Afghanistan

bedtime stories, they’ve built a strong relationship around shared interests in reading, writing and conservation. “I’ve had to put a lot of work into accepting him for who he is,” Merlin explains, “and meet him where he needs to be rather than expecting him to be anything other than he is.”

This acceptance philosophy extends to his environmental work. Rather than demanding immediate perfection from farmers or consumers, he advocates for gradual change that protects people throughout the transition. The same patience applies to his thousandyear vision, which he describes as “a pathway towards optimism” –a deliberate counter to the environmental despair narrative.

“Within a thousand years, I have no doubt that we will probably have a smaller population living more in harmony with nature,” he states. “We will have wolves and beavers and lynx and all the other things we lost, and we’ll have a lot more rainforest. The journey we take to get there is our decision. Do we want it to look like a timeline with lots of war and plague? Or can we choose to get there without that conﬂict

For Merlin, writing Our Oaken Bones represents part of this gentler transformation process. By sharing his evolution from convinced soldier to thoughtful environmentalist, he oﬀers readers permission to change their minds without losing face. In a polarised world where admitting uncertainty often seems like weakness, this intellectual honesty feels revolutionary – even if he’d probably prefer the term ‘evolutionary.’

He hopes readers will tell him they’ve read it and share their thoughts. Because for him, purpose and practice are inseparable – he is the gentle evangelist for change. And that conviction, aligned with where we ﬁnd ourselves in this epoch, is what makes this book very necessary. One that we should all read.

Experience the restorative powers of nature and book a retreat at Cabilla or find out more about The Thousand Year Trust by visiting their respective websites. Merlin’s book is widely available from booksellers throughout the UK.

thousandyeartrust.org

Designer LIVING inspired

WORDS BY JAMIE CROCKER | IMAGES BY JACK HOPKINS PHOTOGRAPHY

Award-winning Now Kitchens, bringing bespoke kitchen design to Cornwall.

Now Kitchens, based in Helston, has been designing kitchens and interior spaces since 2008, blending visionary design with e ce tional craftsmanshi to deliver timeless, elegant s aces tailored to modern living.

Their latest project, a collaboration with R Sincock & Son Builders, recently earned them the iemens studio ine itchen esign of the ear 2 2 award. his itchen, situated within a newly remodelled o en lan home, is a masterclass in balance dar and light, form and function, boldness and restraint.

Tell us how you got involved with this project.

We were brought into the project by incoc on uilders, with whom we collaborated closely. he client had a very clear vision of a lu urious, contem orary kitchen that would be both highly functional and beautifully com lement the newly remodelled o en lan s ace. ith a legacy of innovation and individuality, Now Kitchens was tasked with bringing that vision to life, creating a kitchen that would ma e a bold statement while delivering a cohesive and harmonious feel within the home s new design.

How did the design come about?

he design was sha ed by the client s desire for a so histicated, minimalist s ace that prioritised functionality, elegance, and social interaction. hey wanted to blend moody, matt blac tones with warm, natural te tures and brass accents. e wor ed with erman itchen manufacturer Hacker to source bespoke black wood grain doors, integrated brass handle rails and beautiful oa reeded cabinetry for the sin and island areas. he itchen layout was carefully oned to accommodate cooking, entertaining, and dining, all while ma imising the stunning coastal views.

What Siemens appliances was the homeowner most keen on?

The client was especially excited about the iemens e clusive studio ine range. hey loved the combination of smart connectivity, cooking precision, and sleek aesthetics. he standout features included the iemens induction hob aired with the lass raft ir e tractor, two studio ine ovens one with full steam ca ability and an integrated bean to cu coffee station. acious refrigeration, am le free er capacity and a whisper-quiet dishwasher all contributed to a kitchen thoughtfully designed for effortless entertaining.

ABOVE rom ins iration into tangible living s aces

Tell us about the chosen finishes.

he nishes were carefully curated to deliver a lu urious yet timeless loo . e combined custom blac wood grain, with reeded oa doors to introduce te ture and de th. rass handle rails added a touch of warmth and glamour, beautifully contrasting against the matt blac surfaces. dramatic polished worktop provided durability while enhancing the overall elegance of the s ace. etails li e the blac uoo er ta , com osite sin , and integrated waste dis osal system com leted the design with a seamless, modern aesthetic.

In your opinion, what was the biggest challenge?

Thanks to the expertise of R Sincock & Son Builders, there were minimal construction challenges. However, designing a kitchen that not only moved to the o osite end of the open-plan living s ace but also made full use of the stunning coastal view, re uired careful lanning. e had to ensure that the flow between kitchen, dining, and living areas felt natural while also delivering on the client s high standards for practicality, storage and design im act.

What does it mean to win?

and incoc on uilders. t recognises the hard work, creativity, and collaboration that went into this ro ect. or ow itchens, it s a roud moment that showcases our commitment to delivering exceptional, bespoke kitchens that truly transform our clients homes. t also highlights the im ortance of strong partnerships – working alongside R Sincock & Son Builders and listening closely to the homeowner s vision was ey to creating a s ace that s both breathta ing and beautifully functional.

While this awardwinning kitchen stands as a testament to ow itchens design prowess, it is just one e am le of their broader commitment to e cellence. Since their founding in 2008, Now Kitchens has been dedicated to creating inspirational living spaces that marry functionality with aesthetic a eal.

inning the iemens studio ine Kitchen Design of the Year 2024 is an incredible honour for both Now Kitchens

Their two-storey kitchen, furniture and bedroom showroom in elston offers a tangible insight into their design hiloso hy. isitors are invited to e lore a carefully curated selection of British and erman itchens, talian bedroom furniture and timeless living s aces all designed with precision, elegance and an intuitive sense of s ace. rom utility and boot rooms to home o ces, media walls and home bars, the showroom serves as both ins iration and a testament to their versatility.

Extending their signature design ethos beyond the kitchen, Now Kitchens curate lu ury bedroom and dressing areas that seamlessly blend o ulence with everyday functionality.

Each space is tailored to the discerning client, incorporating bespoke wardrobe systems with talian crafted nishes, custom ewellery dis lay units and precision-engineered watch drawers for horology enthusiasts. rom hand nished soft close cabinetry to ambient lighting and velvet-lined accessory cases, every element is considered. hese are not just storage solutions, they are personal sanctuaries, crafted for those who value re nement and discretion.

deal for renovation projects or newly designed homes, these bes o e interiors bring a cohesive, elevated feel to every corner of the ro erty. ailored to ersonal tastes, these thoughtfully designed living areas ada t to modern lifestyles.

Gone are the days when the television had to ta e an unsightly centre stage. ow itchens is also able to create the ultimate family entertainment s ace with a bes o e media wall and built in television unit. ot only will this ma imise every inch of s ace but you can ma e a statement with your own bes o e design. ade u of your very own choice of doors, drawers and wall panel designs, your wall can even feature the latest integrated technology. one are unsightly cables and trip hazards, replaced with an attractive and unique built-in media unit that will give your guests something to tal about.

With the popularity of open-plan spaces, Now Kitchens is also able to help bridge the design ga between itchen and living area. rom sideboards and dressers to dining tables and storage cabinets, furniture can be colour matched to bring a seamless colour alette to any room.

he same attention to detail can be achieved when creating calm from chaos in a boot room, or order and harmony in a ersonal home o ce sanctuary. hin clutter free cohesive spaces, with storage and lighting solutions that go beyond the erfunctory. ow itchen s remit even e tends to the unashamed lu ury of a home bar. ward winning designers will guide you through the process of selecting the ideal location for your home bar. reate a s ace that reflects your ersonal style and taste and allows you to unleash your inner mi ologist in the comfort of your own home, whether you have a small corner in your living room or a dedicated s ace in your dining area.

very s ace is a roached with the same design led recision and attention to detail. This holistic approach to interior design underscores their belief that every space in a home should be both functional and reflective of its inhabitants.

entral to their service is a commitment to collaboration. rom the initial consultation to the nal installation, clients are guided through each step, ensuring that the nal design aligns with their vision. his collaborative ethos, combined with their dedication to uality and innovation, positions Now Kitchens as a leader in bespoke interior design in ornwall. he recent accolade from iemens not only celebrates a singular ro ect but also highlights ow itchens consistent dedication to e cellence. heir ability to harmoniously blend

cutting edge technology with timeless design principles ensures that each project is both innovative and enduring.

n a region where the landsca e ins ires creativity, Now Kitchens stands out for their ability to translate that inspiration into tangible living s aces. heir award winning wor is a reminder that true design excellence lies in the details – in the careful selection of materials, thoughtful layout, and the seamless integration of form and function.

or those loo ing to transform their homes into reflections of their style, ow itchens offers not only designs but e eriences, crafted with care, recision and an unwavering commitment to uality.

now-kitchens.co.uk

The textures OF LIFE

WORDS BY HANNAH TAPPING | IMAGES BY PHILLY STOKES

From fashion buyer to ocean artist, Gemma Lessinger’s journey is one that weaves memory and the sea.

For as long as Gemma can remember, the ocean has been her haven. She grew up in the city, far from the shore, but every holiday would escape to the coast: “Those weeks by the water became the moments I lived for,” Gemma tells me, “grounding, freeing and impossible to forget. The sea has always been my anchor, a place where I could breathe deeply and reset. What I didn’t know then was how profoundly it would shape my creative journey. My career began not with paintbrushes and canvas, but in the fast-paced world of fashion, where I spent 20 years curating collections, developing products and predicting trends for global retailers. Ten of those years were in the surf industry, working directly with the very culture and lifestyle that had always been so close to my heart.”

Those years taught Gemma more than just business, they shaped her eye for texture, her appreciation for materials and her obsession with detail. They also revealed, in hindsight, a thread that would eventually weave itself into her art: “My fashion career was all about storytelling through fabric; how a cut, a texture, or a print could capture a mood, a lifestyle, a sense of belonging. Now, in the studio, that instinct translates into something

more tactile: textured seascapes built from fabrics, oﬀcuts and found materials that carry stories of their own.”

When the world slowed down during the pandemic, Gemma reconnected with painting, something that had always been a passion. “Very quickly, I found myself reaching not just for paint, but for materials that surrounded me. I used offcuts of sur oard fibreglass from a local shaper friend, and more recently denim worn soft by years of use, fragments of vintage tablecloths, even recycled swimwear fabric that once belonged to local makers. These pieces, layered into my work, echo the ebb and flow of the sea. The more I experiment, the more I realise that I’m not simply painting seascapes but building them, piece by piece, from the textures of everyday life.”

“What surprised me most was how naturally my fashion background began to bleed into this process. Working with fabric felt instinctive. I knew how denim would behave under pressure, how cotton might absorb pigment, how synthetic ﬁbres could be manipulated to mimic the shimmer of water. My canvases evolved into multi-dimensional pieces that people can’t resist leaning in to touch.”

ABOVE

Multi-dimensional art that speaks of the ocean

And it didn’t stop with canvas. The surf industry had been such a defining part of Gemma’s career that when she first experimented with painting directly onto a sur oard, it felt like coming full circle. These boards, often retired from the water, became sculptures of memory and connection, transformed into art that honours their past life while offering a new one. Repurposing sur oards has since become one of the most meaningful aspects of my practice. They allow me to merge my two worlds the insider knowledge of surf culture from my buying days with my artistic drive to capture the sea in new forms.”

There’s something poetic about a sur oard that has ridden waves becoming a canvas for the ocean itself. For the people who commission them, these boards become keepsakes of a life lived close to the water. One couple asked me to create a sur oard piece to celebrate their wedding vows exchanged on the shoreline, incorporating fabric from the bride’s dress into the texture. Another collector commissioned a board to mark years of surﬁng holidays with their children, embedding fragments from those trips.”

bring it into their homes. ometimes that’s through a large canvas that recreates the horizon of their favourite Cornish beach; sometimes it’s through clothing. Painting onto denim ackets or eans has become a way for me to merge my two worlds again.

Each piece I create is deeply personal. The materials are often sentimental, be that a favourite shirt, a scrap of fabric from a child’s blanket, or sand gathered from a beach where memories were made. It’s this element of repurposing that makes the work uni ue. Nothing is wasted; instead, materials are reborn, carrying the past into something new. ustainability isn’t a headline for me, it’s an undercurrent that ﬂows naturally through my practice.”

The idea of memory is what drives Gemma most. Many of her clients don’t live by the sea, but carry it with them in their hearts. My role is to capture that feeling and

Exhibiting across Cornwall and beyond, from intimate coastal galleries to international art fairs, has brought Gemma into conversation with people who connect to the sea in countless diﬀerent ways. Today, my work continues to evolve. From large-scale commissions and repurposed sur oards, to collaborations with brands and makers who share my values, I’m constantly exploring new ways to connect people with the ocean. The sea has always been my sanctuary; through art, it’s also become my language.

gemmalessinger.com

OPENINGAUTUMN25

Opening in autumn 2025, Fern will be a new restaurant in Nanstallon, in the heart of North Cornwall. Guided by chef Paul Welburn, the menus will evolve with the seasons - reﬁned yet relaxed dishes that celebrate the best Cornish produce, paired with drinks from local makers. Fern is being created as a place where flavour leads, the se ing invites conversation, and every visit feels worth savouring.

Stories carved COLLAGED and

WORDS BY JAMIE CROCKER

Artists at the Yew Tree Gallery explore narrative through clay, wood and print.

After ﬁve decades of curating exhibitions across Britain and beyond, Gilly Wyatt- mith has found her perfect setting in West Penwith, Cornwall, where she now works exclusively for ew Tree Gallery. Located near Morvah in the wild beauty of Cornwall’s westernmost peninsula, the gallery occupies the converted spaces of eigwin Farmhouse, where art and nature converge in ways that reﬂect Gilly’s distinctive curatorial philosophy.

Her approach to selecting artists is unusual. Rather than following market trends or commercial considerations, Gilly searches for work that genuinely excites and inspires – art that represents the uni ue voice of its creator. This democratic approach means she’s e ually likely to champion an emerging talent as an established name, provided their work speaks with authenticity and passion.

Her exhibitions are particularly compelling because of her thematic methodology. Each show emerges from what she describes as a sense of what is in the air – cultural or environmental currents that demand visual expression. Many of her exhibitions explore humanity’s relationship with the natural world, addressing our growing disconnection from environmental

Bounding

rhythms and cycles. Other shows develop around a single artist whose work suggests broader conversations, leading her to seek complementary voices working in diﬀerent mediums.

Her current exhibition, Fish, Fowl and Fable, running through eptember and October, exempliﬁes this curatorial strategy. The show centres on Mark Hearld, the ork-based artist-designer whose colourful, multifaceted work has earned international recognition. Hearld’s versatility across painting, collage, printmaking and textile design echoes the great mid-20th century artist-designers like Eric Ravilious (1903 –42) and Edward Bawden (1903 – 89), whom he studied at the Royal College of Art.

For this exhibition, Hearld focuses on collages and ceramic decoration, bringing to the fore his knowledge and love of animals and birds. The hare, a creature steeped in myth and legend, appears fre uently alongside pigeons, crows and roosters, all rendered with the sweeping brushstrokes that give his images their distinctive vitality. Recent work in India, where Hearld collaborated with artisans in Jaipur using traditional mud-resist printing methods, has infused his practice with new energy drawn from vibrant Indian colours and patterns.

BELOW LEFT

Murderous Millinery’ - Mixed media sculpture 44 x 32 x 30cm - Eleanor Glover

BELOW RIGHT

Watching’ - Mixed media sculpture 24 x 24 x 24cm - Eleanor Glover

ABOVE LEFT

Wassail bowl, lidded – thrown and modelled earthenware –57x 27cm – Paul oung

MIDDLE

Whimsical Bird’ – mixed media collage in painted frame – Mark Hearld

ABOVE RIGHT

Man on Rooster – modelled earthenware – 36 x 23cm –Paul oung

Interior Design by Millard & Flo

Photography by John Hersey Studio

timber buildings

Paul Young provides another narrative thread, drawing inspiration from 18th-century taﬀordshire pottery and European folk art to create whimsical tableaux of characters and creatures. Working from his pottery in a converted Victorian railway station in the Midlands, Young produces both decorative pieces and functional domestic ware in the tradition of early English slip-trailed pottery. His magniﬁcent lidded Wassail pot, complete with perching birds and multiple handles for communal drinking, serves as a centrepiece of the exhibition.

Eleanor Glover brings four decades of sculptural experience to the show, creating what Gilly describes as “idiosyncratic revelations of the human condition.” Working primarily in wood, Glover cuts and carves stylised body and bird forms into powerful, emotive sculptures. Starting her career as an assistant to the well-known toy maker Ron Fuller, Eleanor adapted the skills she learnt with him, moving into more personal work where narrative elements and metaphor develop through the process of making. Inﬂuences are drawn through her own experiences, observations of life, poetry and literature.

of island life to create works that capture the essence of seabirds through sleek lines and forms. His framed maritime pieces often incorporate sections of early sea charts, model boats and carved ﬁsh, creating intriguing visual histories of seafaring life.

The exhibition also features ceramic work by Robina Jack and colourful woven rugs by Sue Marshall, a Swedish artist now living in Cornwall. The gallery’s two rooms are surrounded by gardens where visitors can discover sculptures by Reece Ingram and Helen Nock’s carved slate birds and furniture, all crafted from reclaimed Cornish slate.

This integration of indoor and outdoor spaces reﬂects Gilly’s understanding that art viewing should be a holistic experience. The old farmyard provides ample parking, and visitors are encouraged to wander the gardens, using the various seats and benches to contemplate both the exhibited works and the natural setting that inspired them.

For Gilly, each exhibition represents an opportunity to share artistic discoveries with a wider audience, not merely to sell work, but to spread what she calls “the joy in it.”

Alex Malcolmson rounds out the core group with carved seabirds and mixed-media dioramas that reﬂect his Shetland origins and lifelong connection to maritime culture. Now based in Yorkshire, Malcolmson draws on childhood memories

Fish, Fowl and Fable continues through to the end of October, with the gallery open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30am to 5:00pm.

yewtreegallery.com

VERSATILITY Rural

A

spacious barn conversion with annexe, gardens and creative workspace.

The Barn in Tregaswith offers over 7,880 s uare feet of versatile accommodation in a character-filled converted barn with a striking zinc-clad extension. et within two acres of meticulously maintained gardens, the property includes five bedrooms, three en-suite bathrooms, and three reception rooms, alongside a separate two-bedroom annexe. A substantial live work building houses multiple studios and a double garage. Outside, landscaped lawns, decking areas, a reed bed and productive horticultural plots create both beauty and utility.

Just six miles from Mawgan Porth and Watergate Bay, and three miles from New uay Airport, this impressive home combines rural privacy with excellent connectivity, making it ideal for multi-generational living, creative enterprise or simply en oying Cornwall’s renowned lifestyle.

THE BARN Guide price: £1.95M

JACKIE STANLEY 01841 532555

sales@jackie-stanley.co.uk

jackie-stanley.co.uk

POTENTIAL Lifestyle

An elegant and versatile home with landscaped grounds.

On the market for the first time in over two decades, this five-bedroom property combines generous living spaces with well-planned amenities. The dual-aspect lounge, complete with log burner, leads to a private second principal bedroom with an ensuite. The kitchen, fitted with premium Neff appliances and a central island, flows to a dining area opening onto a sun terrace. Additional highlights include a uadrupleaspect sitting room, vaulted-ceiling principal suite, home o ce and guest accommodation.

Outside, landscaped gardens feature a summer house with a hot tub, sauna, and log burner. Energy e ciency is enhanced by solar panels and an air source heat pump, both of which provide income. A gated driveway oﬀers extensive parking alongside a double garage and workshops. A self-contained one-bedroom annexe, currently generating income, adds ﬂexibility to this exceptional home, making it well-suited to a range of lifestyles.

GWALLON VEAN

Guide price: £950,000

JACKSON-STOPS 01872 261160

cornwall@jackson-stops.co.uk

jackson-stops.co.uk

An architecturally bold home overlooking the Camel Estuary and Rock Beach.

Built in 2010, Galtee Beag is an impressive five-bedroom detached home on Rock Road, one of north Cornwall’s most desirable addresses. Designed with floor-to-ceiling glazing and rooflights, the property is arranged across three levels, maximising light and far-reaching views over the estuary and countryside. At its heart lies a generous open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, complemented by a separate sitting room that opens onto a balcony.

The ground ﬂoor provides four double bedrooms and a family room with kitchenette, leading directly to private patios and landscaped gardens. A galleried landing on the top ﬂoor introduces a study and the principal suite, complete with a sitting area, dressing room and en-suite bathroom, all en oying elevated coastal views. With driveway parking, a double garage and boat storage, the property combines scale and practicality in a location renowned for sailing, beaches and excellent restaurants.

GALTEE BEAG GUIDE PRICE: £3.5M

JOHN BRAY ESTATES 01208 862601 sales@johnbrayestates.co.uk

Nature’s RECOVERY

WORDS BY HANNAH TAPPING

Using business funding as a powerful tool to help restore the environment.

With a range of naturebased projects currently facilitated through its platforms, I was keen to discover how EnTrade enables businesses to meet their environmental commitments and obligations and play their part in restoring local landscapes.

EnTrade is using private investment to accelerate nature’s recovery, making it easier for businesses and landholders to trade certiﬁed environmental services. By enabling companies to meet their environmental commitments, EnTrade is helping restore local landscapes. Current markets in Bristol Avon, Somerset and Cornwall have already delivered signiﬁcant improvements, with 95 hectares of nature-based projects and more than £1.3 million in private investment.

“We work with farmers and landholders on a long-term basis to deliver a range of projects such as reverting whole or parts of ﬁelds to wildﬂower rich and low input grasslands; the creation or natural regeneration of scrub; introducing new or enhancing existing woodland; building native, species-rich hedgerows; as well as adding ponds and wetlands to deliver the water treatment properties of natural wetlands to support biodiversity,” says Amy Coulthard, Market Development Director.

“A recent standout success story has been our nutrient mitigation wetlands project on the Somerset Levels. It is a typical story where one of our suppliers, in this case a local farming business, was looking to diversify income and also improve the environment by stripping out phosphates from 100 hectares through the installation of wetlands downstream. The positives are not just nutrient reduction, there are also huge beneﬁts for biodiversity and ﬂood mitigation for the local villagers living downstream. Crucially, the farmer wouldn’t have undertaken this project without the expert assistance as well as the funding made available through the EnTrade market.”

EnTrade’s goal is to establish high-integrity markets in environmental services as a key driver of UK nature recovery. All markets are overseen by the Environmental Markets Board, which ensures transparent governance, fair trading rules and long-term improvements. Independent verification and monitoring are central, giving buyers and suppliers confidence in measurable outcomes. One example is Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) as Amy explains We offer Biodiversity Units from projects that are designed, developed and verified to meet planning authority requirements,” Credits are traded through EnTrade’s digital platform, registries and the national Biodiversity Gain Sites Register, ensuring traceability and compliance.

Images courtesy of Cornwall Council

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A joint venture with global consultancy Arup has enabled EnTrade to scale its market oﬀer and develop a new digital platform, launched in June. This technology is set to transform how nature and climate recovery is delivered by matching project suppliers with environmental credit buyers and investors. The ﬁrst Cornwall Nature Market, facilitated by the Local Investment in Nature Cornwall (LINC) team, opened this summer and buyers can register to bid for Biodiversity Units in September 2025.

Diverse collaborations are key. Participants range from small family farms to large commercial landholders on the supply side, and from small developers to multinational corporations on the demand side. This breadth reﬂects the wide appeal of nature markets, which simultaneously deliver environmental outcomes and economic beneﬁts.

as Cornwall Council, EnTrade helps ensure smaller developers share opportunities with larger ﬁrms and utilities in meeting environmental obligations.

EnTrade is also committed to raising awareness and celebrating local impact. It is sponsoring the Nature Recovery category at the Cornwall & Isles of cilly ustainability Awards, reinforcing its mission to link investment, community, and environmental outcomes. “EnTrade is all about championing nature-based projects that are within a specific geographic area and that can benefit not only nature and the local environment but local communities as well. ltimately, EnTrade’s mission is to drive private investment into nature recovery. To enable this to happen we need to promote our message to as many influencers and stakeholders as possible.

EnTrade’s markets are designed to be accessible for small and medium-sized enterprises ( MEs), aligning with government eﬀorts to simplify planning for smaller developers. Instead of funding entire pro ects, MEs can purchase only the credits they need. EnTrade’s model allows bids as small as 0.01 Biodiversity nits, making compliance aﬀordable and achievable. By aggregating supply from farmers and landholders, EnTrade ensures that developers of all sizes can access Biodiversity nits and Nutrient Mitigation Credits. This supports local economic growth while driving landscape-scale restoration. Working with local planning authorities such

“For us to be involved in such a prestigious event for Cornwall and the Isles of cilly is an amazing opportunity. We get to meet like-minded suppliers and buyers, as well as being able to share our vision of scaling up nature recovery and creating a new deal for the natural environment to a wider audience. We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Cornwall & Isles of cilly ustainability Awards. We’re very much looking forward to presenting the Nature Recovery category awards and meeting those worthy winners who showcase the best of the best across Cornwall and the Isles of cilly, concludes Amy.

entrade.co.uk

AWARDS 2025

Vote now for your favourite business from the DRIFT Awards 2025 shortlist. Visit driftjournal.co.uk/awards2025 or scan the QR code.

THIS YEAR, WE ARE DELIGHTED TO BRING YOU THE INAUGURAL DRIFT AWARDS 2025, CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE SOUTH WEST

The DRIFT Awards 2025, which will be held at St Moritz Hotel, Cornwall on 16th October 2025, will be supporting Dive Project Cornwall.

Voting closes on the 10th October 2025. Make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter to receive regular updates – driftjournal.co.uk/email-sign-up

AWARDS 2025 SHORTLIST

EPICURE

ChefCulture chefculture.uk

Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar mackerelskycafe.co.uk

Situ Cafe situcafe.co.uk

RETREAT

i hcli e o n all ig cli ecornwall.co.uk

Latitude50 latitude50.co.uk

Wooda Cornwall wooda.co.uk

ABODE

Living Space Architects livingspacearc itects.com

Now Kitchens now-kitc ens.co.uk

Studio Far West studiofarwest.co.uk

CREATE

Pareusi pareusi.com

Sea Moor Cornwall, Stevie McCrindle seamoorcornwall.co.uk

Sophie Capron sop iecapron.co.uk

SUSTAIN

Sea Moor Cornwall, Stevie McCrindle seamoorcornwall.co.uk

Stratum Marquetry stratummarquetry.co.uk

Wooda Cornwall wooda.co.uk

INSPIRATION

Children’s Sailing Trust c ildrenssailingtrust.org.uk

Stratum Marquetry stratummarquetry.co.uk

Wooda Cornwall wooda.co.uk

Waste into WONDER

WORDS BY JAMIE CROCKER

Modern Marquetry transforms Cornwall’s discarded materials into luxury.

The kitchen carcass tells no lies. Strip away the marketing veneer of sustainability claims and eco-friendly credentials, and you re left with a trail that leads to something that you weren’t expecting. That something can be solid oak harvested from ancient woodlands but with an environmental stamp of approval added as it leaves the factory, birch plywood shipped from halfway round the world, or – as Ravi and Dan from Stratum Marquetry prefer – recycled materials compressed into surprisingly robust sheet material.

Their workshop in Nancegollan represents something genuinely different in the world of bespoke furniture. While traditional marquetry has remained unchanged for centuries, content to reproduce historical patterns with historical methods, Stratum Marquetry has reimagined the entire disci line. hey ve ta en an ancient craft and thrust it into contemporary relevance by addressing one of our most pressing concerns: waste.

The revelation comes when you understand their process. Where conventional marquetry relies on virgin timber cut s eci cally for decorative purposes, Stratum sources its materials from the detritus of other industries. ff cuts from oinery wor sho s in Newquay, plywood scraps from Falmouth and sometimes architectural waste from Bristol and London; materials that would otherwise feed wood burners or end up in land lls become the foundation for furniture.

This isn’t charity work masquerading as commerce. The company has positioned itself rmly within the market of those seeking something unique but with impeccable eco credentials. he business model reflects this understanding. Their Signature Range offers entry level access to modern marquetry, with patterns designed s eci cally around materials readily available within their local network. These pieces showcase what’s possible while maintaining commercial viability.

TOP

Bespoke table detail – Iroko, plywoods, recycled plastics and various timbers

ABOVE

Bespoke book chest, stripe detail

For clients seeking ultimate exclusivity, Stratum provides bespoke design services, creating unique patterns that ensure no other surface exists like it anywhere in the world. This dual approach solves a fundamental problem in luxury markets: how to maintain exclusivity while achieving scale. Stratum’s method manages to generate in nite variety but in a viable quantity.

The psychological appeal runs deeper than mere aesthetics. Ravi describes meeting interior s ecialists who con rm that wealthy clients increasingly demand uniqueness as their primary criterion. Traditional luxury items like exotic hardwoods harvested from rainforests; materials that require years of processing, now carry uncomfortable associations with environmental destruction. Stratum offers something far more com elling surfaces that actively repurpose waste while creating ob ects of genuine beauty.

The company’s expansion plans reveal further ambition. Rather than simply replicating their Cornwall workshop elsewhere, they envision a network of community-focused branches. Each location would establish relationships with local waste producers while running educational workshops for charity users and community groups. Participants would learn about material value, waste reduction, and basic marquetry techniques while rocessing signi cantly more waste material than a purely commercial operation could handle.

This community element transforms the business from furniture production into something approaching a social enterprise. The workshops would create positive experiences for participants while diverting more waste from land lls,

establishing Stratum as integral to local sustainability efforts rather than ust another luxury furniture maker.

Corporate collaborations add another dimension to their strategy. They’re developing partnerships with established brands, reproducing existing patterns through marquetry techniques to create unique product lines. A London interiors company called Chinakwe wants their signature patterns translated into marquetry surfaces for furniture and flooring. n established frames and mirrors business – Patrick Ireland Frames – seeks collaborative pieces incorporating chosen marquetry patterns.

Most intriguingly, they’re exploring relationships with manufacturers whose waste becomes their raw material. An Italian company producing sunglasses from recycled plastic has expressed interest in commissioning a conference table incorporating their own waste materials. The symbolism proves irresistible – a company’s discarded materials transformed into a statement piece for their own boardroom.

This approach challenges conventional de nitions of lu ury goods. he conference table made from Amazon rainforest timber, requiring four years from felling to delivery, no longer represents the pinnacle of exclusivity. Instead, luxury increasingly means demonstrating values alignment, showing guests and clients that your choices reflect contem orary environmental consciousness without sacri cing aesthetic uality.

he shift reflects broader generational changes in purchasing behaviour. Young designers graduating from product design courses question buying anything made

from virgin materials when alternatives exist. A table needs to demonstrate values that tap into the zeitgeist, which involves wearing its credentials on its surface.

Stratum positions itself perfectly within this transition. They’re not simply oﬀering recycled furniture; they’re providing entry points into a lifestyle philosophy that prioritises material reuse without compromising on visual impact. Their surfaces create conversation pieces that allow owners to discuss sustainability without appearing sanctimonious.

The technical innovation shouldn’t be understated. Traditional marquetry works with predictable materials possessing known characteristics. Stratum must constantly adapt to whatever waste materials become available, developing techniques for incorporating diverse substances into cohesive decorative schemes. This ﬂexibility becomes a competitive advantage, enabling them to create surfaces impossible through conventional methods.

The challenge remains substantial. Converting traditional buyers requires education and evangelism. Many potential clients need convincing that recycled materials can produce surfaces as beautiful and durable as those made from virgin timber, but Dan and Ravi recognise that this won’t be an overnight transition.

Yet the trajectory seems inevitable. Architecture practices now specify that projects must create a net positive environmental impact. Interior designers increasingly seek suppliers aligned with sustainability principles. The guilt originally associated with religious transgression has indeed been replaced by environmental guilt, creating market pressure that favours companies like Stratum.

Their success won’t come from superior craftsmanship alone. Instead, it stems from recognising that contemporary luxury re uires diﬀerent ustiﬁcations than historical luxury. The client seeking a unique dining table wants beauty, certainly, but they also want a story they can tell without embarrassment.

They’re participating in a fundamental shift in how we define value, luxury and responsible consumption. Their planned engagement with the Community Interest Company (CIC) scheme will highlight how they intend to channel some of their commercial success into social benefit. Five per cent of all profits support Plant One Cornwall, funding habitat regeneration projects that customers can join, creating tangible connections between purchase and environmental restoration.

tratum Mar uetry craft items that provoke admiration while supporting values that matter to increasingly environmentally conscious consumers. In transforming waste into wonder, they’ve discovered that the most compelling luxury might be the knowledge that your choices improve rather than degrade the world around you.

stratummarquetry.co.uk

Image courtesy of CSA Architects

The season AHEAD

WORDS BY JAMIE CROCKER

The summer visitors may have departed, but one gallery is maintaining its momentum.

Rhiannon Cottam talks about her forthcoming plans for The Summerhouse Gallery and what she intends to grace the walls and plinths with in the lead up to the festive season.

Can you give me an overview of the autumn season at The Summerhouse Gallery and what visitors can look forward to?

Autumn is a lovely time in Cornwall and often my favourite season in the gallery. The town remains nicely busy with visitors from all over the world, but the crowds disperse a little. We like to keep up the summer show momentum by having one big mixed artist exhibition showing throughout autumn. This year, the autumn collection will open on October 17th with an opening event that evening, from 5pm to 7pm. I have selected artists who work with colours and textures reminiscent of autumn, with its golden sunsets, wild seas and the rich, earthy hues of the changing woodlands.

I’m going to be holding a series of ‘paint for fun’ workshops over the autumn and winter. I launched these in the spring this year and they were well-received. Workshop participants will have the chance to switch oﬀ and play around with diﬀerent paints while chatting to their friends, accompanied by tea and cake of course! They’re very relaxed sessions and I make sure the tables are set up with lots of colourful and inspiring still-life stimuli. It’s a lovely way to make use of the space during a quieter time in the year. Tickets will be available to purchase online.

You mentioned a couple of new artists joining the gallery for this autumn. Who are they and what drew you to their work?

We have a few new artists joining The Summerhouse this autumn/winter. These include painters Laura Rich, who creates evocative contemporary landscape oil paintings; Louise Waugh, who’s paintings of the wild Cornish coast paths often feature little ﬁgures with their dogs, giving them

‘Coral Cocoon’ by Sophie Velzian

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Works from Laura Rich which will feature in the autumn show

ABOVE

Laura Rich in her studio

a sense of narrative which I feel so many will relate to; and Martin Goold, whose soft pastel works of moonlit landscapes caught my eye for their unusual depictions of shadows, cast by Cornish engine houses, under the night sky. We are also welcoming a new sculptor, Rob Preston, whose bronze and slate works explore the wonderment of life and the beautiful little joys of the natural world, such as a single droplet of rain rolling oﬀ a leaf. All these artists work in the South West and have been selected for their individuality, each bringing something new to the gallery.

How does the gallery go about curating such a varied selection of artworks while still maintaining a cohesive feel?

For a show, I often begin the process by curating the space in my head. This is where my background in art, illustration and design helps, as I have to make quick decisions based on complementary colours and styles, taking into consideration the size of the space and also the framing styles of each artist. As the shows are booked months in advance, I can’t always be sure that the work will be exactly as I imagined when I selected the artists at the start of the year, but it’s always exciting to see what artists produce when given a brief. I have every conﬁdence that our artists will produce high-quality work, so it’s then up to me to make sure the space is set up to do the work justice.

Sometimes, the placement of a large sculpture, a plant or a chair is all that’s needed to soften the transition between styles in the space. I am inspired by how classic and contemporary styles can sit next to each other, both in an art setting but also in architecture, interior design and fashion. My keen interest in these areas helps, as curating the gallery has become second nature to me now. If something doesn’t work, I will go for a walk and come back with fresh eyes and the answer will come to me.

The Summerhouse Gallery has a strong online presence. How important are online sales to your business now and how have they grown in recent years?

Online sales have become very important over the last five years. Being situated in a beautiful place like Marazion, we are not short on footfall during the summer months. This does drop dramatically in the depths of winter, so it’s important to us to remain visible online and to make sure that our fabulous artists’ work can be accessed easily from wherever their buyers are. Buying artwork online can be nerve-wracking to some, so we offer a friendly video call service to buyers who want to get a better feel for the piece. We understand how important it is for the painting to be the right fit in someone’s home. Buying art is so personal, so we never put any pressure on anyone to buy.

Cornwall & Devon’s Premier Kitchen Specialists

an ou e lain the finance o tions ou o e an ho the a e a t o e accessible to collecto s

We are really proud to be able to offer our customers a 0 finance option using Own Art, an amazing Arts Councilfunded scheme which makes buying original artwork, ceramics, sculpture, ewellery and prints much more accessible. It re uires a 10 deposit upfront to secure the piece(s), then a uick and easy online application form is sent to the customer via email. It only takes a few minutes to fill out and submit, so it can be done in person in the gallery or at home in their own time. One of the things we love about Own Art is that the artwork can be taken home or sent to the customer as soon as the form has been accepted, so this can be instant. There is also only a very short wait time for the funds to be released, so the artist doesn’t need to wait longer than usual to be paid. It’s a win-win.

match your new sofa, but it’s the feeling it gives you when you connect with it. I’ve seen customers stare at a painting and get completely lost in it, because they’ve been transported to a favourite place or a happy memory. I have been brought to tears (happy tears ) many times from being transported through a painting. It’s this connection that we want people to ﬁnd when choosing artwork; it’s about that piece that you can’t get out of your mind. It’s also really important to me that the customer en oys their time in the gallery, because if they do buy a piece, the memory of buying it will also feed into how they feel about it for years to come. This is the same for all purchases, big and small.

o so eone ne to collectin hat a ice oul ou i e hen choosin a iece the ll lo e o ea s to co e

I think original artwork should be chosen for its ability to make you feel a certain way. Falling in love with artwork isn’t ust about ﬁnding the perfect painting to

oo in ahea be on autu n hat e citin lans o e hibitions can a t lo e s e ect o The u e house alle in the co in onths

As well as the autumn show, we have a winter show with a spotlight on the proliﬁc artist Michael trang. In the run-up to Christmas, the gallery will have a beautiful array of gifts from locally-made decorations, ewellery, prints, cards and more.

summerhousegallery.co.uk

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Sediment OF SLEEP

WORDS BY MARTIN HOLMAN

Encounter six artists emerging into prominence on the British art scene who extract fresh perspectives from common ground.

Art is about stuﬀ. Artists learn on the ob about materials, their source, properties and durability, and what messages their use sends out to the world. Art is also about obtaining and moving materials, working them and combining them and giving them new form. Painting, too, is the manipulation of matter with skill. The great development over time has been in the ever-widening range of materials made possible by industrial production.

At the gallery at Tremenheere culpture Gardens, six artists show how materials are harnessed to bring about often extraordinary changes of physical state, visual impact and imaginative meaning. All have emerged onto the British art scene in the past decade or so. Brought together by the artist duo of Amy and Oliver ThomasIrvine, their exhibition becomes a factory for ideas. They explore materials and processes as creative catalysts that release impressions that make our encounters with materiality both active and stimulating.

Four of the artists – Rosanna Martin, Jack Whiteﬁeld and the Thomas-Irvines themselves – are based in Cornwall, a region rich in minerals. Harriet Bowman now works in Bristol and grew up in rural Devon,

Amy and Oliver Thomas-Irvine, Overslept, 2025. mild steel sunbed replicas, isomalt, tin, blue bottle, acrylic, stainless steel, perforated prints, contaminated land, postcrete, rubble, plaster, bronze. The Artists

where slow nature can be a limitation on the aspirations of young people lured by the speed and scale of metallic urban life. The sixth artist, Rachael Champion, was born on Long Island in greater New ork and lives in cotland, after moving there from ent. Each is acutely aware that our existences, even how we identify ourselves, are inextricably linked with the materials that surround us. sing diﬀerent scales and in contrasting formats, their experiments with media and content are often surprising.

Entering the lower area of Tremenheere’s gallery building is like crossing the threshold into a hardware and aggregates store. tretching across the mineral-laden terrazzo ﬂoor is a broad expanse of loose rubble and sand, gravel and dust. Its irregular rim resembles a pool in the landscape, the type that might form in the extensive Tremenheere garden outside where plants and wildlife gather. Close inspection reveals coloured fragments of crystal and minerals, like talc and salt, and shards of uartz. At regular intervals around the banked-up sides sprout stems of wheat grass. They can be expected to change during this exhibition. o, this sculpture is prone to change, importing life into an artwork that has to be cared for and watched.

( rom le )

ABOVE ediment of leep at Tremenheere culpture Gardens, with work by (from le ) Rachael Champion, Amy and Oliver Thomas-Irvine, Harriet Bowman, Rachael Champion, Harriet Bowman, Rosanna Martin and Amy and Oliver Thomas-Irvine. The Artists

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Harriet Bowman, Rehearsal IIII, 2025, fused glass, horsehair, welded metal frame, 130 x 70 cm; Rosanna Martin, Black Rick I, 2018, C-type print on aluminium, 150 x 140 x 112 cm; Rosanna Martin, Belly Bup, 2025, mixed media. The Artists

ABOVE

Delivering raw material for Rachael Champion’s installation, Clastic Corpus.

), 2025, mixed media including recycled aggregate, watercolour painting,

Photography by Amy Thomas-Irvine

ABOVE

Rachael Champion, Clastic Corpus (detail

wheat grass, vinyl tubing, coated wires, painted ducting, rubber hose, P C pipe ﬁttings, rock crystal, brown dolomite, rose uartz, muscovite mica, aragonite groups, talc, halite, blue sand, 750 x 330 x 40 cm (approx.) The Artist

Most incongruously of all, the pool appears indoors, surrounded by the ceiling, walls, lights and stout wooden beams and columns of the gallery’s bold design. Extending that ambiguity are puzzling details muddled in with the stones plastic-covered wire, ducting and other hard, shiny synthetic substances. A length of vinyl tubing snakes, creature-like, towards the centre ﬁlled not with free-moving, aerated water but a static watercolour painting. Artist Rachael Champion created the installation especially for this show. he is used to working with public locations and often relates the physical make-up of her work – its look, position and materiality – to the ecology of modern environments, its angular architecture as well as its hills and trees.

We know, after all, that those surroundings are changing. The diverse cereal and crop production of a century ago has turned into today’s fertilised pastures of monoagriculture, worked by machinery – or into landscape reshaped by construction. As biodiversity gives way to supplyside production, our relationship to nature is irrevocably reconﬁgured. The uxtaposition of organic matter and manmade ob ects highlights the divide common in contemporary human experience. Confronted by the mixture, uestions arise that we try to answer about town and country, real and fake, beauty and banality, waste and value.

Champion calls the expansive piece Clastic Corpus , borrowing a scientiﬁc term to describe the complex make-up of rocks from the particles embedded within them. Industrial products are similarly dependent on earth resources for their manufacture.

We can easily lose sight of the link when buildings and fountains become more familiar as neighbours than vegetation and rivers. et Champion is more discursive than critical of change. he is interested in tracing the moving boundaries between the natural world and human inventiveness. Her refreshingly contentious sculptural intervention oﬀers to expose the gap between living and inert presences that formulate today’s settings. Possibilities appear that are both unsettling to contemplate and wildly fascinating. Like the futuristic prospect of hybrid materials that fuse organic and artiﬁcial elements. Art poses uestions and proposes choices; it rarely determines the answers.

Ad acent to the pool are the hard, rectilinear metal shapes of Overslept (2025) by Amy and Oliver Thomas-Irvine. ide by side, two gently curving horizontals assume the outline of sun loungers. The paragon of relaxation, they look steely grey and resilient, sleek and cool. et imagine the workshop cacophony involved in their construction the heat for forging metal, the laser beam that cuts the sheets, the shriek of surface grinders. We’ve both had a strong interest in fabricated structures and constructed spaces since the early days, they say. We are very interested in the body in relation to the built environment, whether that is technological or architectural.

The pair, who collectively are known as ATOI, met as students in Falmouth. Amy grew up around Manchester and the Peak District with no connection to heavy industry. Oliver’s childhood was spent by the sea in Northern Ireland. Evidence of the Troubles was still apparent in army barracks, corrugated walls and roadblocks.

Discovering overlapping interests in raw materials and salvaged objects, “we soon realised our shared passion for constructing sculptural situations and spaces,” and their collaboration began.

Already a part of Tremenheere’s remarkable open-air collection is their monumental metal sculpture, “Holding Breath” (2020-1). Heavily reminiscent of utilitarian industrial architecture, the massive structure stands four metres tall and extends 18 metres on one of the highest locations in the 22-acre valley site. At ﬁrst, its rectilinear presence is anomalous to the surrounding Cornish granite, trees and the blue expanse of sky and water. Approached uphill from one direction, the parallel slats of its steely-grey ﬂanks appear continuous and unyielding. As it looms into view, it seems to clash with rather than complement the setting.

By moving closer and around the framework, the spectator becomes aware that the fixed louvred vents appear to open. Scenery now flows through and a narrow interior space is revealed that the visitor can enter for a remarkable outlook on Mount’s Bay, the island and its castle. In several senses, the piece is all about changing perspectives. Another arises from contemplating its shape. The central section is held above the rest. Its ribbed formation calls to mind the chest raised in the compression and release of breathing, as if inhaling the enveloping atmosphere. patially powerful, Holding Breath” nearly appears not to be art. Its “artfulness” is accepted but perhaps it tests the layman’s definition of sculpture. One strength of the piece is its invitation to revise our expectations of the artform.

Simple shapes, therefore, can contain complex sensations. The contours of “Overslept” visually correspond with a

useful object in real life. Transformed materially, however, it becomes a channel for diﬀerent thoughts and interactions, ones that extend well beyond the work itself. That is the vocabulary of art. For the sculptures are by no means mute. They challenge the viewer to tolerate uncertainty and pick up lines of thought that the work starts but never completes. Both loungers remain vacant. That absence begins to play on our minds. “A lot of this comes from the way we experience and relate psychically to our surroundings,” the pair points out. “In the art we made before we met, we utilised our own bodies, performing in live works, and constructed spaces as settings. Later we collaborated with other professionals, such as mixed martial arts ﬁghters and fashion models.”

In fact, each artist in this exhibition has space for the body in their work without ever depicting it explicitly. Instead, visitors are prompted to step into the creative process with their individual reactions. In such ways, artworks evolve layers of fresh signiﬁcance. What could those responses be? Does “Overslept”, apparently abandoned, signal the eﬀects of escalating global temperatures – a catastrophe humans are sleepwalking towards Any notion of leisure disappears. Too hot to occupy, with a vestigial tablet screen baked to glowing metal, the sunbeds give room to desiccated husks. Neither overtly animal nor vegetable, are these slumped forms creatures evolved to handle the future circumstances of a parched planet inhospitable to humans?

Above all, every sculpture in this show, in diverse ways, makes the viewer conscious of his or her own perceptions and presence in relation to the artworks. The materials spark this enquiry through their tangible reality, almost compelling reﬂection.

ABOVE

ediment of leep at Tremenheere culpture Gardens, with work by Rosanna Martin (foreground), Rachael Champion (centre), Harriet Bowman (centre right) and ATOI (rear). The Artists

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(Rear) Amy and Oliver Thomas-Irvine, Restless, 2025, welded mild steel and welded stainless steel, heras fence, alarms, 450 x 240 x 185 cm, (front) Harriet Bowman, Auto bathing for Aedes, 2025, slumped glass, water, welded metal frame, 60 x 47 x 141 cm. The Artists

A spectrum of visual and conceptual effects follow. Rosanna Martin’s sculpture Belly Bup” (2025) transforms raw material in ways vibrant with potential for a range of personal interpretations. She rests a ring of thin steel at knee height on five columns composed of stained and abraded bricks of different, roughly rectangular shapes. These components have the textures of past use; Martin found them abandoned and recycled them for their previous lives into a new artwork.

Then, spaced at intervals on the ring’s circumference are greyish clay objects. Modelled by hand into tapering uprights, the top of each balances two spoons linked on a pivot into miniature see-saws. Its playful title sets the tone for barely resisted interaction, like setting the objects in motion. The circle suggests play, as with a roundabout or an enclosure. Or a table to kneel at and lay out a picnic; a social space. The objects contain a list of participating materials: particles of iron, paper, quartz, yarn proliferate clay, bricks, steel. All were considered waste when Martin salvaged them and revived their value. And most originated in Cornwall, the artist’s home county. They are evocative to her of that place, its geology and industry. They set oﬀ memories and experiences onlookers have the chance to sense and share.

Martin depicts these resources as integral to a region’s livelihood. The duchy’s rich metal and mineral endowment was mined by a poor community to power a dominant global empire. Wall-mounted nearby are two largescale images titled Black Rock (2018). They assume the grand scale of portraiture, a genre traditionally reserved in art for the great and famous. astly magniﬁed to the

size of a meteorite, a rare and valuable object, two clumps of humble slag look as if they might crash through the body of the show. The by-product of metal extraction, slag is a concentration of raw materials that embody this speciﬁc landscape and the arduous, anonymous labour that transformed it.

Like Martin, Jack Whitefield is imbued with the stuff of his native territory. He grew up around St Ives, still travels its land and swims its waters. The geography has seeped into his identity. His work often pro ects that immersion, not least the large-scale drawings made by striding in white clothing through burned twigs and bracken. Charcoal literally inscribed nature on to his body as he transferred his physical energy to the terrain. Whitefield communicates that emotional proximity through recorded sound, film, print, photography and, last year, in the sculptural installation called “Sapphire Pillbox”. Set up at Hweg in Penzance, those media converged to reimagine the wartime lookout at Porthcurno as a beacon of blue light connoting this jewel of a landscape. His print collage in this show “Sinking Ship” (2024) imitates sculptural space by jamming on the flat with isolated images of different sizes, shapes and colour. The cameos appear heated but disconnected and, as in a dream, seek a thread to float on. They ostle inside a single frame to convey shifting, uneven pockets of activity - a toy boat held aloft, a stretch of shore above a marine map, a handworked process underway below a figure caught posturing bizarrely.

The show at Tremenheere shifts gear towards hard surfaces, trapped liquid and uncertain purposes in the glass and metal framework sculptures of Harriet Bowman. Born in rural Devon, Bowman is based in Bristol; last year

she won the prestigious nationwide Mark Tanner Sculpture Award that highlights signiﬁcant emerging careers. The ﬁrst leg in a touring solo show took place in London in the summer. Her work has an austere, technical look. Combining glass and metal into open-framed structures, it initially seems impersonal and abstract. Looked at longer, its equipment-like formality seems aesthetically liberating; once more, deceptively simple sculpture harbours a web of metaphorical associations – human qualities that are felt rather than directly observed.

With Rehearsal III (2025), welded and engineered rods project from the wall into the gallery space to support a horizontal panel of glass tilted as if asking to be examined. It could be imitating a museum display or a product stand in a trade fair. The glass panel is the focal point. Rather than being ﬂat, continuous and transparent, the surface is unevenly blistered, making clear vision impossible. Moreover, dark strands in a random tracery leak into an inky pool fused inside defy explanation. This glass is pointedly on display, but looks mutable and vulnerable.

Bowman, however, has composed this situation and keeps her audience guessing about her intentions. The encounter resembles the ﬁrst act of a play, with characters introduced and the drama ignited. Clues exist within details; but the plot twists as the artist resists reaching an authoritative denouement. Within the angles of this sculpture’s framework is the rudimentary suggestion of a vehicle, with the bodywork missing. That reminds us that we refer to cars as having bodies as Bowman

tilts the work’s elusive legibility towards us. Cars transport passengers in a protective shell. Remove that and interfere with the windscreen, and any imagined journey would be perilous. Or has a calamity already occurred? Thrill-seeking DIY car racing in rural towns, manoeuvres that throw stuﬀ onto the windscreen and scar the road with skid marks. Collisions, waste and loss become possible outcomes. But Bowman withholds as much as she gives, preserving a private space for the artist in her own creation. Only in the gallery label is horsehair mentioned as the source of those mysterious strands, a material Bowman has collected as avidly as smashed autoglass, swept from city pavements and recrafted into glittering ornaments, like competition daredevils’ trophies.

The strong pulse of this show comes from the zeal of making. It exists in the ﬁnding of matter that excites the maker into evaluating it and eliciting new purposes for it in imagination. As properties are revealed and modiﬁed, new constructions form in the space of the gallery, where we meet them, and in the remembered images we take away with us.

“Sediment of Sleep” continues at Tremenheere culpture ardens until th eptember . nstallation photographs by om Moore.

harrietbowman.net rachaelchampion.com rosannamartin.com thomas irvine.com tremenheere.co.uk

ABOVE

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Jack Whiteﬁeld, inking hip, 2024, ink et print, silver gelatin print, RA4 print, pencil, Risograph on paper, 67 x 102 cm.

The Artist

Amy and Oliver Thomas-Irvine, Holding Breath, 2020-1, galvanised steel and powder-coated steel, 13.5 x 4 x 1.4 m. Installed at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, Penzance The Artists.

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