18
MATTHEW BURT AT CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK: BRINGING A CORNER OF WILTSHIRE TO CENTRAL LONDON
Matthew Burt Furniture will again be exhibiting at Clerkenwell as part of the British Collection. The show runs from Tuesday 19th – Thursday 21st May 2026 at numerous venues and their stand will be at St James’ Church EC1R 0EA, right at the heart of the event.
They are presenting pieces in the‘ Waterfall’ design, displaying an imaginative and affectionate use of ash trees, currently ravaged by disease; and spalted beech, trees in the early stages of decay but which remain strong as well as strikingly handsome.
“ We relish memorialising this wonderful wood in ways that give it a future with both beauty and purpose.”
Matthew explains:“’ Waterfall’ was born out of a commission to bring some warmth and softness to a
double-height atrium at the home of a client. Using thin sections of Hampshire and Sussex sweet chestnut, we created undulating cuts which we then randomly juxtaposed with others of various thicknesses. It is difficult to be intentionally random, but we try. Putting sufficient of these alongside each other, we created what could be described as‘ waterfall’ panelling.
“ Exploring this concept further, we are using a lot of ash, rescued after being cut down due to the ubiquitous dieback. We’ re taking it into other designs, including sculptures, furniture and columns & panels for interiors, and relish memorialising this wonderful wood in ways that give it a future with both beauty and purpose.”
The centrepiece of the stand will be a spectacular 2.3m dining table( pictured below), made of small sections of spalted beech from a tree felled in the client’ s own garden.
Complete with gnarls and knots, this eye-catching timber, incorporated into Matthew’ s‘ Lozenge’ design, is another example of using supposedly aberrant wood to both stunning and functional effect.
Social media: www. instagram. com / matthewburtstudio Website: www. matthewburt. com Contact: Celia Burt | 01747 820800 | showroom @ matthewburt. com