Upscale laminate brand Polyrey has sponsored dynamic furniture designer Paul Kelley for a key new piece, entitled Tallboy, which was exhibited recently at the Gallery Fumi as part of the London Design Festival.

Tallboy references classic English furniture but has been reinterpreted by Kelley in a modernist style with the use of high-pressure laminate. The piece is taller and narrower than its classic version, measuring 1.75m high with seven drawers that grow incrementally in depth, giving the piece an elegant, contemporary proportion. Kelley has a passion for craftsmanship, executed in a way to show what can be achieved by using a range of materials including laminates, copper, gold, leather and wood.

For Tallboy, Kelley married traditional mahogany timber with up-to-the-minute laminates supplied by Polyrey from its international collection.

The interior box was made out of the mahogany using true furniture-maker skills, with the outside laminated in Alu Brillant, a glossy silver metallic from the Pur Métal range, giving a luxurious reflective quality which both contrasts and complements beautifully with the richness of the timber. The underside of all the drawers are laminated in Matt Black Noir from Polyrey’s Papago range, ensuring every surface is properly finished and can be fully appreciated aesthetically, something which is woefully lacking in modern furniture in Kelley’s view. Tallboy comes in a choice of five sizes but can be made to customer order to a bespoke size.

Kelley is passionate about his trade, designing and making every piece of furniture by hand. Tallboy was exhibited at Kelley’s first one-man show at the Gallery Fumi and titled The Dignity of Labour. Kelley has exhibited his work extensively in America and Europe, earning commissions from Paul Smith, William Grant and Sons and the Hotel Intercontinental.

Patricia Rahme, Marketing Manager at Polyrey, says: “Paul is an inspirational furniture designer bringing together classic sculptural forms and modernist influences and we are delighted to have collaborated with him on this piece. Tallboy is a stunning piece of furniture, a
beautiful collector’s item that will grace any home.”

For more information on Paul Kelley, log onto www.paulkelley.co.uk.