Assemblage 8: Gummy Chair

April 2024
Photography: John William, Angus Mills

There has always been the desire for Toogood to produce upholstered furniture, but it has taken years to find and build relationships with the right makers. It had to be British-made and sustainable, using traditional techniques and all natural materials. Because of the natural materials used, and technical build of Gummy, no carcinogenic or synthetic fire retardant foams are needed, an industry leading approach.

“I wanted to create a chair with a lot of personality, that could sit at home in any interior – historical, grand, modern or homely. It had to function properly as upholstered furniture and it had to be comfortable.” – Faye Toogood.

After years of designing furniture almost exclusively using miniature maquettes, Gummy demanded a new approach: “Upholstery is a completely different process and so we needed to build Gummy in the factory. Finding the right scale in the curving wooden skeleton and then sculpting the shape with coconut husk and wool.” – Faye Toogood.

Owing to the multidisciplinary nature of Toogood, the fashion team were enlisted to cut a pattern for the upholstery fabric, one that allowed for Gummy’s curvilinear design but only working with natural non-stretch textiles. Gummy is offered in a range of Pierre Frey fabrics including chunky wool bouclé “Opio”, and “Yeti” - a fuzzy blend of wool, mohair and long-haired alpaca, also offered fine bouclé from Yarn Collective. Colours include “Ciottolo” (a warm neutral), “Giboulée (a two-tone mossy green), Prussiana (a deep blue green) and many more.}

“There are a lot of chairs out there at the moment that have very little shape. Not Gummy! She’s ready to give you a big hug with her generous, anthropomorphic proportions. With all the pieces I design, I want the playful and the unexpected to be brought to life with exceptional craft. Gummy combines Toogood’s disdain for convention with a deep respect of tradition and quality.” – Faye Toogood