1 A CRAFTED IDYLL Where the bee sucks, there suck I: In a cowslip’s bell I lie; There I couch when owls do cry. On the bat’s back I do fly After summer merrily. Merrily, merrily shall I live now Under the blossom that hangs on the bough. BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (from The Tempest) Our retreat idyll is a place which our imagination happily revisits time, and time again. It is a shelter for our mind to expand and creativity to be explored; a space in which we allow ourselves to wallow in fantasies and where we meet our true self. It is a place which feels acutely familiar, yet utterly otherworldly. We are intimate with the finest details of how it should be: how the atmosphere is created with the quality of light, the sounds and the smells within and without, and the textures which form its architecture. Every item within – from chair, to bowl, to handle and rug – has been chosen, crafted and curated with the greatest of care. We know how we will feel when we are there, and we radiate a sense of tranquil satisfaction. We have invited Sam Lee – Mercury Prize nominated folk singer, conservationist, song collector and broadcaster – to share his fantasy retreat commission with architectural and furniture practice, SASA Works. Cover illustration by John Broadley for The New Craftsmen illustration John Broadley for by Cover 2 33 THE MOSS HOUSE BY SAM LEE “So this is my imaginary design for my retreat– a dream fishing hut. That’s not a fishing hut that’s in my dreams, but a fishing hut that I visit to go fishing for dreams and ideas. The Moss House is located on an island in a chalk stream (a very particular feature of the English countryside) and almost totally unique to Southeast England. My specific chalk stream is The River Test. The island is surrounded by braided passages of river which are full of salmon and trout, and billows of watercress and watermint. The water is always at 10 degrees celsius which is one of the unique beauties of chalk streams. There are no bridges to reach this hut, so you have to take your shoes and socks off and wade through the 10 or so feet of fine soft gravelly, chalky, flinty river bed. I imagine that The Moss House will be a two storey lean-to between two alder trees which are growing out of the river, on the riverbank. Alder trees have enormous height, strength and straightness so they could become the two columns on either side of the main double length, double heighted hut. It is a three-walled hut which is always exposed to the outside. Between the two alder trees is a porch or veranda which trails off into the stream, so that the margin between where the chalky bed ends and the hut begins, is ambiguous (chalk streams never flood because there is always a constant, measured, flow out of the chalk) . The whole hut will be made from wattle and daub which is covered with lime and woven with moss. The moss growing from the hut is a connection to one of my favourite, traditional songs which comes from Ireland – The Moss House - which talks of tumbledown homes that were the “keepers of song & story”. The roof will be thatched and made out of the reeds growing around the water. As a recognition of the chalk landscape, inside the hut there is a beautiful white chalk hewn fireplace, which has blackened from fires, and a stone chimney. There will be rudimentary facilities. The kitchen will have a simple basin into which water will be drawn from the river as it will be clean enough to be used for washing. There will be a set of waterbeds with reedmace and yellow flag (both types of rush) for cleaning all my grey water. There’ll be a ladder up to a platform, above the veranda, where there will be a double bed. It will also be open on one-side and looking down over the river, with the ability to close some shutters. From up high you can watch the trout and salmon swim past, and the ducks and geese all go about their journeys. It will be as though one’s dreams could be fished out of the crystal-clear stream below. ˮ 4 5 ‘ 6 7 THE MOSS HOUSE: THE DESIGN BY SASA WORKS ‘‘We have designed the space as a poetic reflection to Sam’s words – considering the importance of craftsmanship and an architecture that listens to and cares for the land. We draw all of our projects by hand a process that allows us to dream and feel the space. Tuning in as we draw with how the lines form the structures that are designed – how they form an inter-relationship of material details that inhabit the space. The Moss house is aligned to view the morning sun and the evening sunset, with platforms to watch the river at different times of the day. The natural materials of the wood thatch and lime will patina with time imbuing the surfaces with nature. The Moss House will be built from locally sustainably harvested timber and materials. Allowing the beauty of the form of the trees to speak in the final building. A space of contemporary style and traditional craftsmanship to allow for contemplation. ‘‘ Craig Bamford and Isik Sayarer, SASA Works, London June 2020 9 10 11 The Moss House The Moss House calls you As A space to dream As the river speaks As the river bank speaks As the tree spirits speak As the nature sounds echo around the form Hexagon meeting the ground Openings that capture the rays of the sun Dreams of light and shadow at play As I transcend towards The Circle that meets the sky A space of permeability For reflection With Portal catching the light of the moon dreams of the stars With Landing places that Anchor the footsteps of the soles of the feet To meet the soul of the land Footsteps through streams Windows greeting the different movements of the rays of the sun v As you arrive here with all that you need Here Held and hidden amongst calk and reeds Wrapped yet open Foundation of alder Held by wood of oak Meeting Lime Occupied by moss With brick to hold the element of fire Shutters to be in Shutters to be out A space where dreams float in Mixing the elements In the night and day af experience Where stillness flows creativity 12 by Craig Bamford and Isik Sayarer, SASA Works 13 MAKERS TO COMMISSION SASA WORKS Furniture Maker and Architect, London GARETH NEAL Furniture maker, London AKIKO HIRAI Ceramicist, London ANNEMARIE O’SULLIVAN Basket Maker, East Sussex FITCH & MCANDREW Ceramicists, Scotland THE GOOD SHEPHERD Knitter, South East England MALGORZATA BANY Artist & Designer, South East England 14 15 SASA WORKS Founded in 2009 by architect and maker Craig Bamford, London based SASA Works brings a holistic approach to architecture, furniture and objects. Craig works with artist Louise Isik Sayarer to create work that fuses art, architect, craftspeople, and the environment. Seeking to create a poetic and refined relationship between materials and space, SASA Works produces work which brings joy into everyday functional objects. 16 17 THE RETREAT THE FOCA SOFA SASA Works SASA Works We invite you to commission SASA Works to create your Price: PAO The Foca Daybed by SASA Works is a sustainably-sourced Material: Douglas fir and Pitch Pine own ‘retreat’ – a space for oneself that you can journey to, piece crafted from reclaimed Douglas fir and Pitch Pine. Dimensions: physically and mentally, and simply be. Where every element, The sofa is perfectly complemented by sheepskin cushions H 63 x D 61.5 x W 182.5cm angle, detail, material, and feature would be crafted and con- and throws. The Foca Daybed is named after a Turkish Price: £5000 sidered in collaboration with SASA Works. Small or large, in fishing village Foca (pronounced ‘Focha’) located near Izmir. Lead time: a garden or a field, this is an opportunity to create an intimate The simple aesthetic of the sofa is inspired by the wooden 6–8 weeks space - close to your thoughts and nature, and entirely you decked seafront promenade, weathered by the sun, sea and own. SASA Works are ready to have the conversation with years of use. you. 19 GARETH NEAL Gareth Neal is an East London-based furniture designer who, through material inventiveness and curiosity, has helped to shape a new era in contemporary British craft. Gareth is passionate about honouring people, process and place, working collaboratively to champion the use of indigenous materials and traditional processes. Gareth’s studio produces a variety of furniture pieces including seating, cabinetry and sculptural artworks, all with a focus on sustainability and respect to the environment. 20 21 THE BRODGAR LOUNGE CHAIR (WITH DRAWER) THE BRODGAR SIDE TABLE Gareth Neal Gareth Neal The Brodgar Lounge Chair is the product of a collaboration Material: Oak and Straw The Brodgar Side Table by Gareth Neal and Kevin Gauld, Material: Oak and Straw between The New Craftsmen, Dalston based furniture maker Dimensions: is designed to complement the entire Brodgar Chair Dimensions: H 56 x W 46cm Gareth Neal, and traditional Orkney chair maker Kevin Gauld. H 88c x L 55 x W 72cm range, including the Lounge Chair pictured opposite. Price:£1950 Gareth travelled to Orkney in Scotland to develop the original Price: £4450 However, its shape and form also means that it functions Lead time: 10–12 weeks Brodgar Chair design with Kevin, resulting in a contemporary Lead time: beautifully as a standalone piece in a room or even as twist on this iconic piece of British furniture, which speaks deeply 10–12 weeks of place.