One Day : Andy King - Furniture Maker
Location : Bristol, UK
Profession / passion : Furniture maker
Website : https://kingandwebbon.com
Instagram : @kingandwebbon
One Day is an ongoing project sparked by the Covid-19. In the days of isolation we would like to focus on what we do best; bringing people together. Read more about the project here.
We will be posting one new day of someones life every day until we run out of contributors. See our instagram stories to experience these peoples One Day in action.
A film everyone should experience?
The Search for Animal Chin. This may not be a cinematic masterpiece but this late 80”s skate video fills me with nostalgia about happy days in my youth when all that mattered in life was going skateboarding with friends.
What is the story behind your profession?
I grew up with a carpenter Dad and a passion for skateboarding. I loved art and design at school, but ended up doing a degree in Geology and becoming an Engineering geologist. Skateboarding is all about expressing your own style, and combined with exposure to woodwork through my Dad, I’ve always had an underlying desire to do something tangible with woodwork where you express your own style.
5 years ago, I did an intensive furniture making course and then established King and Webbon in 2017. Running your own business is ridiculously challenging in so many ways and I work twice as hard and long as I did being employed, but I’ve never experienced loving what I do until doing this!
How do you want people to react to your work / passion?
When I tell someone I’m a furniture maker, they respond with genuine interest in their eyes, so it’s lovely to share what I do. Within a minute, the phone is out so I can show images. When people meet me when I’m exhibiting, they love the tactile nature of my furniture, and I Iike to think see me lighting up when talking about it.
How has the current situation affected your work?
My 2 next larger projects have been postponed so it’s been a massive cashflow panic. Business overheads as a furniture maker are high, so when money stops coming in, you can get into financial difficulty quickly! I’m fortunate to have some projects for fitted furniture I can do bits and pieces on in the background, and have recently made a desk for a good friend who desperately needed a home working solution! Even if you have no projects on, there’s always so much work you can do on your business, plus take time to develop new designs. It’s actually also been good to do daily walks in the park opposite where I live – it’s a beautiful country park full of ancient woodland. This is something I don’t normally do in the busy every day.
Function or Form?
Both in equal measure. While I love form, it’s no good without function, and particularly with a piece of furniture that’s exists to serve a purpose, if it doesn’t function it doesn’t work. The beauty of designing and making furniture is that it can look beautiful while still doing its job. With attention to detail and considered design, using a piece of furniture can bring as much joy as looking at it.
Quality or Quantity?
Quality. Buy one thing that’ll last as long as possible.
How do you wish this current situation will have a positive impact on our lives?
I love how quiet outdoors is at moment, how few cars there are on the roads, how clear the skies are, and how much more apparent nature is as a result. Normally the road noise outside wakes me up in the morning, now it’s noticeably absent and I can hear birdsong. I really hope businesses can reassess the way they work, and we could help reduce rush hours and constant travel – I wonder how many completely unnecessary business journeys happen everyday normally. It’s funny it takes a pandemic to give the environment exactly what it needs if we’re to help save it.
It would ne amazing if there was a shift away from over-supply and wastage. I think not being able to buy anything you want wherever you to want it, to arrive at your door next day, helps focus on what’s necessary and what’s not.
