With a shared commitment to natural materials, nurturing artisanal craft and sustainability, Nature Squared and Bethan are both thrilled to showcase this ground-breaking and highly innovative collection of furniture and accessories to the public for the very first time.
Although Nature Squared’s surfaces can be found in the majority of the world’s superyachts, its latest venture with Bethan brings a new perspective to furniture with the use of previously undiscovered materials, skills and techniques. Utilising nature’s finest and most beguiling materials, this collaboration brings Gray’s highly original and elegant designs to fruition. The collection consists of a capiz shell shelving unit, jade and pheasant feather lounge chairs, pearl shell cylindrical stools, with the hero items including a scallop shell table and a pen shell coffee table.
After significant research and development, Nature Squared has diligently created new engineering solutions, in conjunction with Gray, that merge traditional artisanal skills with precision furniture making and exquisite design. The inlay process for each item takes many weeks to complete due to the intricate detailing and high quality finish – and the results are unlike anything that has ever been created for the furniture market before.
Bethan and Nature Squared’s collaboration marks the coming together of like-minded and passionate people with a shared belief in nurturing craft and sustainability.
Gray is one of Britain’s most celebrated furniture and homeware designers, having been awarded four Elle Decoration British Design Awards. Nature Squared’s unparalleled quality of surface applications and creative solutions have been quietly inspiring and transforming the perception of ethically sourced and sustainable design for the past 18 years, and used in collaborations with the likes of Rolls Royce, Montblanc and BMW. Employing 200 master craftsmen, it has elevated heritage craft to heirloom quality. It has now moved from its roots in the bespoke market, to make its work accessible to a wider audience and promote the compatibility of such skills and quality with environmental, cultural and social stewardship.
The exotic but plentiful shells are sourced from Filipino fishing communities with on-going conservation projects while the British pheasant feathers are a natural by-product from birds that have been sustainably processed for food.
Exploration is at the heart of everything Bethan and Nature Squared do. The Exploring Eden collection of furniture and accessories is the first expression of a shared passion for discovery, experimentation and pushing the limits of natural materials. The journey has only just begun.