In Favour of Simple – Furniture by Irish Designer and Maker Simon Doyle

With any craft it’s easy to get blinded by the many techniques at your disposable. In my experience when perimeters aren’t in place it can be hard to see through the mist, but you have to keep pushing through until you discover the concept in which you would like to pursue. Once everything is in place I find that you then have something to work around, which is part of the reason why I was drawn to the furniture of talented Irish designer and maker Simon Doyle.

Early on Simon became interested and influenced by the Shaker movement, a religious sect in America who rejected decoration in favour of simple. It was more than just the pursuit of function, it made up their beliefs and contributed to the inner peace and harmony that they felt on a daily basis. Simon himself wants to bring some of these principles to the modern world, linking craft and industry, exploring the possibility of the two coexisting.

For me it’s interesting to view his portfolio and see some of the earlier pieces of furniture that are slightly rough and rustic, moving on to the newer pieces in 2017 that are more polished but still reference the traditional techniques that he has in his arsenal. I’m really excited to see where Simon can take his work in the near future, here are a selection of my favourite pieces from his collection but more can be seen on the link below.

simon-doyle.com

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