Granular Chelsea: The Pitch

Almost a year ago, in January 2024, we were delighted to be invited to present our shortlisted design to the inspiring team at Project Giving Back—the charitable body sponsoring a select number of gardens at RHS Chelsea for its fifth and final year.

From an initial field of 120 applicants, just 17 teams were shortlisted. Statistically, we had a one-in-three chance of success—no pressure at all. Determined to leave nothing to chance, we refined and rehearsed our presentation extensively, testing it in front of trusted journalist colleagues.

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Vernacular Furniture with Chris Williams

Chris Williams has always had a passion for chairs, and an equally deep affection for the countryside that quite literally shapes his work.

Based on the rural west coast of Wales, he has spent more than 30 years making Welsh stick chairs, which he crafts using timber foraged directly from the hedgerows. Thought to date back as far as the 13th century, the Welsh stick chair is unique to the region, and rather than a set design, the shape is dictated by the curves of the natural wood.

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The Hunt for Red December

Horticulturally minded tourists often visit Japan in the spring, or else in autumn. December is slightly overlooked, which, on the evidence of this year’s weather, seems a shame.

The Niwaki team have been busy working on a new project and their busy days and long nights didn’t leave much room for mooching about in gardens. But there was a window of opportunity to race to Kyoto and back at the end of the trip which was too good to pass up.

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Two Sticks Forge

In the heart of the Ashdown Forest, Andrew Lindsay of Two Sticks Forge combines traditional Japanese craftsmanship with the landscape around him, creating knives for chefs and home cooks that will stand the test of time.

With strong family connections to Japan, Lindsay directly sources some of the finest culinary steels in the world. After 7 years of searching he was able to bring two vintage Sakamoto mechanical belt hammers back to the UK, where they are at the heart of his workshop. He has been fortunate enough to be able to regularly travel to Japan to spend time with master bladesmiths – who have always shared their experience and knowledge with great generosity. This longstanding connection with Japan has inspired and informed the knifemaking since the very beginning.

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Dulcie

In 2012, Dom Bridges, a volunteer beach warden with a vision, began questioning the beauty industry's status quo. Instead of accepting the conventional approach to skincare, he started experimenting in his family kitchen, using seaweed hand-harvested from Margate's shores.

That kitchen experiment has grown into something extraordinary. From their humble beginnings in a small lab on Cliff Terrace in 2013, they've evolved into a movement redefining what responsible business can look like. But some things never change – they're still crafting products by hand, harvesting seaweed from our local shores, and putting community first.

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