Gosling have achieved further shortlist success in the International Product Design Awards 2015. The Overbury Games Table will compete in the Bespoke Cabinetry category in the sixth annual awards.
The design of The Overbury Games Table was inspired by the magnificent Arts and Crafts Building it was commissioned to sit in. The design respects the elements of Arts and Crafts design, a movement, which celebrated craftsmanship and frequently applied medieval and a ‘folk style’ of decoration. The design needed to be significant in its own right and not eclipsed by the incredibly intricate design detail surrounding it.
The room where the design sits is an exceptional, high ceilinged space with a columned screen featuring hand carved roundels in the frieze at the top. The hand dovetailed drawers and the hand carved pieces of the chess set embraces the period.
The Overbury Games table was designed to include and reflect the design features in the room. The corner of each table has a hand carved roundel imitating the design of the screen.
The next challenge was to design a pair of tables that had an unparalleled number of games contained within. The games were chosen to entertain during wonderful, wintery country weekends. Included are roulette, cards, poker, backgammon, scrabble, chess and draughts.
The baize was hand dyed to ensure the colour worked in harmony with both the leather and the hand stamped and embossed Scrabble playing surface. The imposing and heavily draped high windows created the perfect-bayed recess to frame the tables. The colour of the baize also needed to work with the curtains and nearby armchairs. The small windowpanes enhanced the symmetry of the checkered board on the tabletop.
The Pair of Games Tables were made in mahogany to mirror the colour and feel of the mahogany hall consoles just beyond this room. The base of the table has design elements taken from the Arts and Crafts ethos and are shown in the heavy, hand carved, inverted fluting on the turned base of the pieces.