We’re all about quality and comfort at Willow & Hall, so producing something that can literally let our customers put their feet up at the end of the day seemed an inevitable step.
This post will give you a peep behind the scenes of Willow & Hall to see how we developed our soon to be released range of footstools.
So aside from finding a comfy footstool to prop your feet on and have a snooze (in the name of product research of course!!) how does one get inspired when it comes to designing a footstool?
One fabulous source of inspiration for some of our designs at Willow & Hall has been antique footstools. Items from days gone by can be a wonderful way of seeing how a particular shape or detail worked.
For example we liked the way the fabric was gathered on this antique 19th century oval stool and the intricate detail on the legs.
Here it is again but from above:
Source: http://www.antiques-atlas.com/antique/gillow_oval_giltwood_footstool/as285a518
Instead of looking to replicate an antique exactly, detail for detail, we looked at many different antique items to gather lots of ideas on shapes, styles and details.
We’re lucky to have a lovely parade of antique shops in East Molesey which is close to our offices so we were able to find some treasures in there.
Source: www.molesylife.co.uk
We also came across some interesting images for inspiration on www.antiques-atlas.com.
For example this Victorian footstool which has a button upholstered top was useful to see as one of the Willow and Hall designs is set to have a diamond buttoned top.
Source: http://www.antiques-atlas.com/antique/victorian_upholstered_rosewood_stool/as129a483
Obviously being inspired by products from the past is just an initial part of the process - especially when comfort (so cushioning much thicker than some of the antiques we found) and quality are going to be so important.
It’s definitely a truly enjoyable aspect of designing though and has led to some interesting discoveries - including some designs that whilst wonderful perhaps wouldn’t really work for our Willow and Hall range!
Source: http://data1.whicdn.com/images/93400393/large.jpg
If you have any footstools from the past that can beat this gem from the 1960’s we’d love to see them. Please share images or thoughts with us by:
- Leaving a comment below this post on our blog
- Posting on our Facebook page
- Or tweeting @willowandhall using #W&HFootstools
Willow and Hall’s new range of footstools will go on sale later this summer. More information on the release date and exciting new products will be sent out on our emails and on our blog in the coming months.