More than just furniture: The Glenlivet Nàdurra drinks trolley by Sebastian Cox

Sebastian Cox was commissioned by the whiskey distillery The Glenlivet to design a drinks trolley to mark the launch of Nàdurra Peated, a new range of whiskeys by the Scottish brand. The wooden collectible he came up with is inspired by 19th century malt barrows and thus expresses the traditional spirit that informs not only his design work but also the classic Scots beverage.

In homage to the material that plays a decisive role in the distillation of whisky, the modern craftsman used steam to straighten oak staves from whisky casks that were no longer in use, and interwove them to form the cupboard doors and wheels for the designer piece. He also crafted three circular bottle holders out of  American white oak, cherry wood and peated oak to represent the three innovative variants in the Nàdurra range.

In all his design work, the English craftsman is concerned with more than just creating pieces of furniture.  When Sebastian Cox set up his studio in 2010, it was in the conviction that traditional craftsmanship methods are exactly the right ones for fashioning furniture for the present and future. The designer and his team delve deeply into the history of traditional materials, in the process altering our perception of contemporary material culture.