Designed by Ernest Gimson, the elegant simplicity of this chair, known as the Bedales chair, lends itself beautifully to a finely woven natural white willow seat. Willow weaving this chair pays homage to one of Gimson's most iconic pieces of furniture that is displayed at the Cheltenham Museum.

Both functional and beautiful, this chair feels perfectly at home in a traditional or more rustic modern setting. A stand alone piece or forming part of a collection, this chair celebrates one of the leaders of the Arts & Crafts movement.

With a passion for the Arts & Crafts movement, and an understanding of the highly skilled traditional English techniques needed to create willow seating, it’s natural for me to follow in Gimson’s footsteps.Involved in creating this willow seat are advanced and endangered basketry techniques including skeining, scalloming and cranking.

Combining each chair’s unique provenance with endangered willow basketmaking techniques is an incredible opportunity, not only for Saerah, but for the promotion and future of the craft. Using now rare natural white willow harvested from the Somerset Levels and willow seated by Sarah, her aim is to create a demand for this natural material seating and to help train other basketmakers in the highly skilled techniques, working towards creating for them a viable, sustainable living.

Although very rare, willow seated chairs have been made using traditional basketmaking techniques and craftsmanship for hundreds of years. Sarah’s now reviving original Arts & Crafts ladder back chairs, giving them a new lease of life and love within the 21st Century!

In 2019 - 20 a special exhibition 'Ernest Gimson: Observation, Imagination and Making' took place at the museum and showcased Gimson's chair, which he was purported to have woven himself. This particular Bedales chair was made by Edward Gardiner, sold by Gordon Russell and has now been bought back to life through my weaving a new natural white willow seat.

Designed by leaders of the Arts & Crafts movement, these handcrafted, originally rush seated chairs, were made within the Cotswold furniture workshops of Ernest Gimson, the Barnsley brothers, Edward Gardiner and Gordon Russell. However it was Ernest Gimson who upon learning how to make ladder back chairs from Philip Clissett chose, Sarah believes, to also learn and himself make woven willow seats. Gimson made these prized chairs for friends and family; with his iconic chair, made for Sidney Barnsley, now taking pride of place in the Cheltenham museum.

Whether the chair is a unique centre piece, pair or a dining room set, Sarah’s hope is that together we will support the aims of the Arts & Crafts movement, so relevant to us today; to promote a return to hand-craftsmanship and to assert the creative independence of individual craftspeople. When offered for sale, each Arts & Crafts chair that Sarah willow seats is priced according to its providence and model. Contact Sarah for prices, commission lead in time and further information.