Luke Hughes’ Award Winning Pews - Luke Hughes and Company Scoop Award at National Church Chair Competition

Wed 20 Jun, 2012 // Ismay Currie
pews

Luke Hughes and Company are thrilled to be one of the winners at a prestigious competition in which specialist furniture designers are honoured for their designs.

The Design A Church Chair competition, organised by the Church of England, was held at the St John’s Church in London’s Hyde Park, last Thursday. The event honoured industry professionals as well as talented design students and graduates.

The competition featured three categories, one of which was ‘Seating currently in production’. It was in this category that Luke Hughes and Company were victorious, scooping the award for their stackable pew design.

The achievement is a further endorsement of the press interest already received for the company’s stacking pew designs. Stackable pews are a solution to the debate over fixed pews versus unsightly plastic chairs, and have recently been endorsed by English Heritage as an acceptable way of making ecclesiastical spaces, even historic ones, flexible for alternative use

As the pews are easily moved, they offer flexibility and allow places of worship to be used for various other purposes such as classes and community events, whilst maintaining the traditional look and feel to the building. This gives churches the chance to receive fresh sources of income without ruining the familiar ambience, a perk which plastic chairs cannot offer.

For the competition, the bespoke furniture designers decided to showcase the work they had developed for Hereford Cathedral. The stacking pew design obviously impressed as they beat over one hundred other entries to collect the award.

The judging panel was made up of five specialists from both architectural and religious backgrounds, including one of Britain's leading furniture designers John Makepeace OBE, and the Bishop of London, the Right Reverend and Right Honourable Richard Chartres.

Luke Hughes and Company are well established furniture designers for ecclesiastical clients all over the UK and have worked in many notable buildings across the country, such as the cathedrals of St Albans, St Paul’s, Bristol, Exeter and Winchester.

Nigel Shepherd of Luke Hughes and Company commented: "I am thrilled to have this design recognised in such a way. It is brilliant the way this competition has drawn attention to the importance of good design for furniture in churches.

“The Church Chair Competition is a great platform to showcase both the work of established professionals and also the work of design students who are just starting out in the industry. I’m sure that an accolade of this type will benefit us all greatly.”

-Ends-

For further media enquiries, please contact Martin Hunt on 0131 557 8885 / martin@tartansilk.co.uk, or Ismay Currie: ismay@tartansilk.co.uk
Notes to editors:
• Luke Hughes and Co has been based in Covent Garden, London since 1981.
• Luke Hughes and Co also designs bespoke spa, corporate and institutional furniture for clients across the world including the Mandarin Oriental hotel and The Royal Bank of Scotland.
• Luke Hughes was one of the first furniture design consultants and makers to embrace sustainable values and practices, with core values of understanding space, reflecting the building’s architecture and creating furniture that lasts.
• Over the last 25 years Luke Hughes and Co has designed furniture for more than 50 Oxbridge colleges, 20 institutional libraries, 20 major public schools, 17 cathedrals, 81 churches, 7 national museums, 6 royal palaces, 900 corporate boardrooms and 42 luxury spas.

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