James Mudge
Great designers, producing beautiful furniture, which is collated for Australian interior designers.
Designer / Maker - James Mudge
Cape Town, South Africa
Furniture featured - Harvest Table, outdoor table collection
James Mudge Furniture Studio is a furniture design studio that has been operating in Cape Town since 2006 providing bespoke and customised, hand-made, solid-wood furniture to its clients around the world (represented bye Jacket Curated in Australia).
James Mudge grew up on a farm in the famous Garden Route - a lush, wooded coastal area of south-eastern South Africa. In fact, Knysna, where James was born, has a long-standing history of woodcutters and woodworkers due to its naturally occurring forests and its abundant resources of natural and farmed wood. His family come from a line of woodworkers, furniture makers, artists and engineers and he was exposed to the entire process of the business and artistry of woodworking from an early age. He grew up surrounded by the daily workings of the industry and its craftsmen, and learned much of what he knows about traditional cabinetry, and applies the same principles of proper joinery techniques, attention to detail and artisanal craftsmanship into his designs and workmanship today.
Design ethos
“Because we use natural assets and resources we very much need to respect these resources and this is an overriding value in our design and build ethos. In essence, we are subtracting a natural asset and presenting it to you in another form. Consequently, we aim to respect the underlying beauty, spirit and integrity of that asset and ensure that its ‘essence’ is retained, cherished and nurtured by you as its new custodian.
Most of our furniture is made from solid, sustainable hardwoods, primarily American White Oak, American Ash, American Walnut and French Oak. We also use Iroko from Central Africa for both outdoor and indoor furniture. All our solid wood is sourced from sustainable FSC approved sources.
Using traditional cabinet-making joints such as the ‘Dovetail’, ‘Mortise and Tenon’, and ‘Half-laps’, we have attempted to create designs that will last as long as the trees that made their creation possible, and will continue as a tribute to the beautiful solid woods used in our design.
In pursuit of retaining the integrity of the natural resource, we seal timber with either a water-based, environmentally sustainable lacquer or an environmentally friendly oil that is locally manufactured and contains only natural ingredients. We keep the finishes discreet and as natural looking as possible and we deliberately do not entomb the wood in sealants, which means that care must be taken to avoid stains. Solid wood is a living resource that can always be refinished and its wear and tear is an organic part of its natural patina. Our furniture comes with instructions for its care and maintenance and we are always on hand to offer advice.” James Mudge
The Outdoor Harvest Table is made from Iroko, colloquially known as African Teak. The traditional cabinet-making joints used for this design, enable the continuous movement of the timber throughout its life and ensure its durability in the changing outdoor environment. Finished with a natural grey oil, the Outdoor Harvest Table develops a worn-in aesthetic as it ages, a distinctive trait of solid wood furniture. With natural exposure to sun and rain, light surface cracks will develop and the timber will turn grey due to UV exposure. The expressed joins between the planks of the table top will open and close with the seasons and there may be a certain amount of warping and cupping of the timber, depending on the amount of sun the table gets. Structurally the design will always maintain its integrity. The Outdoor Harvest Table is made in 50mm thick and 70mm thick versions. Both the 50mm and 70mm thick versions can be made in up to approximately 5m long tables, depending on timber availability. The thicker version is generally not made smaller than 3m long to maintain the proportions. Again, this table forms a platform for use at the centre of the family many good times and meals can be shared around it.
This is just one piece from the James Mudge Outdoor collection, now available to order through Jacket Curated