Bringing Sir Edwin to Yale

For many years, we’ve been working with Candia Lutyens to create furniture for her clients, using the original drawings of her grandfather, Sir Edwin Lutyens – one of Britain’s greatest architects and designers.

One stand-out project that Candia commissioned us to work on was a suite of furniture for the stunning Pauli Murray College in Connecticut. Part of Yale University, the college was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), with construction beginning in 2015.

One of the most complex parts of the collection was this viceroy table that extends in length, with room to insert four additional table-top leaves. The geometry for tables such as these is as challenging as the final look is impressive. Made from oak, it incorporates the table-top bone motif from Sir Edwin’s original sketches.

In addition, we created these two stunning (and huge) vicereine sofas, with oak frames and feet; webbed, sprung and filled with horse hair, and finished with feather cushions. The panels inside the accompanying Lytton coffee table were painted to match the colour of the sofa fabric, and we also created two D-end and Knebworth side tables, featuring the typical Lutyens flourishes of Tuscan columns and elegantly carved bun feet.

Candia Lutyens: “This was a demanding project for a prestigious client, and everyone was delighted with the work of 1718. The attention to detail, the reliability of the service and the quality of the craftsmanship was exemplary throughout.”