DAVID COLWELL
David Colwell is one of the UK’s most respected designers. Trained in Furniture Design at the Royal College of Art, his designs are timeless and his passion is to create furniture that addresses real issues for the future.
David’s furniture has won many awards and appears in permanent and private collections across Europe and America, including London’s V&A Museum and the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.
Before starting Trannon Furniture, David had a successful design practice in Kings Road, London, and was retained by ICI Plastics for product design and J Walter Thompson for interior design and working environments.
AWARDS:
Wood Award Innovation Prize. Achair, 2010
Creative Wales Award, 2009/2010
Silver Medal & 3D Design Awards, Royal College of Art
Public seating Award, Sit 94: National Museum of Wales (Museum of the Year 1995)
FX Green Seating Award: C3 Stacking Chair
4 Guild Mark, Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers: C1 Upholstered Recliner and Footstool, C3 Stacking Chair, Ash Round Tables, T2 Extending Table
INDEXES:
Crafts Council Index, Southern Arts, AXIS, Commissions East, SW Arts, Public arts
PUBLICATIONS:
Modern British Furniture. Lesley Jackson, V&A publication (2013)
COLLECTIONS:
Modelo Museum of Science and Industry, Toluca, Mexico: C3 Stacking Chair
Rhode Island School of Design Collection, USA: Contour Chair
Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA: Contour Chair
Vitra Design Museum, Germany: Contour Chair
Victoria And Albert Museum, London: C1 Recliner & Footstool, C3 Stacking Chair, Contour Chair
Victor Papanek’s Private Collection, USA: C2 Director’s Chair
Design Museum, London: Contour Chair
Crafts Council Collection, London: C3 Stacking Chairs
John Makepeace OBE private collection, UK: C1 Rattan Recliner & Footstool
Temple Newsam House, Leeds City Musuem: C1 Rattan Recliner & Footstool
Design Centre Index, London: C1 Reclining Chair, C2 Director’s Chair, C3 Stacking Chair
The Science Museum, London: C3 Stacking Chair
EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS:
2019. Artist in residence, School for Furniture Craftsmanship. Maine, USA
2018. British Library Interview.
2016 / 17. Sri Lanka, Investigating uses of Cinnamon wood as a by-product of cinnamon production.
2015. Designed and arranged manufacture of Worcester College, Oxford, Lecture Theatre Seating
2014. Tales from the Wildwood, TV nature series. Rob Penn
2014. As William Morris Said, Ruthin Craft Centre.
2013. Making Chairs, one man show, Craft Study Centre and Ruthin Crafts Centre.
2012. Visiting professor. California Collage of Art, San Francisco.
2009. Soho Green Table and Seating
2007. Ludlow Food Centre Interior
2007. Visiting teacher of chair making, School for Furniture Craftsmanship. Maine, USA.
2004. Opening of Scottish Parliament
2004. ’Collect’ Crafts Council Exhibition at the V&A Museum
2003. Design and making of Scottish Parliament Reception Desk
2003. ’Classics’ Brussels
1995-2003. ’100% Design’
2003. ’To Have and To Hold’ Ferrers Gallery
1998/1999/ 2003. ’Art In Action’ Oxford
2003. ’International Festival of Gardens’ Westonbirt Arboretum
1997/1998/ 2002/2003. ‘House & Garden’
2003. ’Take A Seat’ Bluecoat Display Center
2003. ’Table Wares’ Beatrice Royal Gallery
2002. ’Sustainable Designs’ Johannesburg World Summit
1997/1998/2002. ‘Artisan’ Edinburgh Festival
2002. ’Take a Seat’ Grace Barrand Design Studio
2002. ’In Praise of Trees’ with English Nature, Salisbury Festival
2002.’Wood x 10′ Scottish Gallery
2000/2001/2002/2003. ’Homelodge Show House’, Ideal Home Exhibition
1999/2000/2002. ’Ergonomic Chairs’ Science Museum Touring Exhibition, London 1999, Manchester 2000, Portugal 2002
2002. ’Solo’ Artifex Gallery
2001/2002. ’Rufford Gallery’ Nottingham
2001/2002. ‘Brewery Arts’ Cirencester
1990/2001. ’Chelsea Crafts Fair’
2001. ’Designer’s Block’ London
1999/2000/2001. ’MODE’
2001. ’Green Design’ Bledffa
1994-1996/2001. ’Spectrum’
2000. ’Wind & Wave’ Beatrice Royal Gallery
2000. ’Guild Mark Exhibition’ Pallant House Gallery
1994-96/ 1998-99/ 2000.’Country Living Spring Fair’
1998. ’Guild Mark Exhibition’
1995-96/ 1999. ’A Celebration of Craftsmanship’ Betty Norbury
1995. ’International Contemporary Furniture Fair’ New York
1992-96. ’Decorative Arts Today’ Bonhams
1995. ’Greenwood’ Contemporary Applied Arts
1994. ’Conservation by Design’ RISD Museum of Modern Art, USA
1992. ’Christmas Show’ Oriel Moystn
1992. ’Living Room’ Oxford Gallery
1992. ’Having Made It’ Oriel
1992. ‘IDI’
1992. ‘Exempla 92’ Munich
1992. ‘Chair Gallery’ Design Museum
1991-92. ’Beyond The Dovetail’ Crafts Council
1990. ’In the First Place’ Aberystwyth Arts Centre
1988. ’Furniture Focus’ Northern Centre for Contemporary Art
1983. ’Recent Work’ Leeds Craft Centre and Design Gallery
1983. ’Recent Work’ (Solo) Prescote Gallery
1982. ’The Maker’s Eye’ Crafts Council
1981. ’The Wood Exhibition’ Northern Arts
1981. ’Prescote in London’ Warwick Arts Trust
1980. ’Furniture Projects’ Crafts Council
1980. ’Crafts Council 80′
1978-84. ‘Furniture Makers’ Prescote Gallery
1971. ‘Chairs’ Victoria and Albert Museum
1970. ‘Whitechapel Chairs 70’
1967. ‘Perspex 67’ Royal College of Art