Local Heroes: Nick Ross' WORKS

Nick Ross' WORKS features highlights from one of Scotland’s most accomplished contemporary furniture designers. Raised in Inverness and now based in Stockholm, Ross has shown his designs globally and collaborated with numerous international brands including +Halle, Rimowa, Audo, Karakter, NIKO JUNE, and Louis Vuitton.

For Custom Lane, he has selected a mixture of work from brands that he regularly collaborates with. In addition, the show features photographic prints from his latest collection Primitive Arrangements, which was recently exhibited at the Swedish History Museum during Stockholm Design Week. A variety of pieces made in timber, metal and stone balance his traditional work; a combination of conceptual and minimalist compositions – with a more irreverent and experimental series of designs.

“It's not often that I mix projects in an exhibition setting, so it was fun to see the work showcased together in this way.” says Ross.
Much of the work in the Edinburgh show has been created for the designer’s experimental brand NIKO JUNE, which he runs together with friends in Copenhagen.

“We started the company in 2020 after becoming a bit bored of the current state of the design industry in Scandinavia. We wanted to work on a commercial project that had a different approach – something we felt was missing from the market.”

The brand focuses on creating objects that are made to last and create a real, emotional connection. The emphasis is on sustainability and this is achieved by working with either upcycled materials or exclusively local producers.

“One of the objects from NIKO JUNE on show is the P-L 01 chair, which was the first object I designed for the brand. The idea behind the design was to create a simple furniture collection in metal that could be made using standard elements and produced by local metalworkers within Copenhagen. The design takes its cues from the post-and-lintel system that was employed within ancient Greek, Indian and Egyptian architecture, and describes a building system that utilises vertical post-like elements to carry horizontal lintels.”

From the outset, his work has referenced early forms of architecture and the materials and structures that underpin them. Readers may recall The Doric Boule, an installation staged in 2017 in the courtyard of Aberdeen’s Marischal College where Ross created a circular seating arrangement constructed using granite sourced from a variety of international quarries. The arrangement of the benches is a nod to ancient Greek symposia, and this approach – bringing together ancient and classical histories with a bold and modern minimalism – is evident in subsequent works.

P-L 01 chair. Image: Niko June.

This is furniture design that encourages communication, whether through construction details or strikingly original forms and an empathetic sensibility that is achieved through tactile materials and muted palettes.

Visitors to the exhibition can see a carefully curated selection of designs, including some from the NIKO JUNE studio. The Ink Trap table is made using a new type of MDF composed entirely of recovered wood. The material comes from residual flows from the timber industry and is also a by-product of sustainable forest management and road verge maintenance. The stacked sheets are tinted in black with a transparent super matte finish on top, leaving the sides raw and untreated.

Accompanying this is Eros Torso, a lightweight vase from a fun series made using upcycled plastic that is individually heated and shaped by hand. Also on show is the Banquet chair and table – both manufactured in beech wood, sourced locally in Denmark and inspired by the 1990s tightly composed minimalism and a selection from the aforementioned P-L series, including an aluminium chair and a candle holder.

The timing of the Edinburgh exhibition is connected to the popular events series Talks At The Lane (TATL), hosted by the gallery and delivered by its community of creative practitioners. Ross is the seventh speaker in a series that focuses on material by engaging with designers and makers whose practice is concerned with the use of sustainable materials, their practical application and cultural meaning.

During discussions about the event, Paula Szturc – a designer based at Custom Lane with architecture practice GRAS and a co-organiser of the series – saw an opportunity to host an exhibition to coincide with the talk, bringing this unique body of work to a local audience. 

“Nick’s work exemplifies an innovative, rigorous approach, particularly in his consideration of materials and their cultural and historical context and our talks series offers a unique platform to harness these individual connections and share them with an inquisitive, diverse audience. The current exhibition came together with the support of Custom Lane’s Creative Director, Dieny Itoe, as well as the dedicated and often invisible, voluntary contributions of the whole TATL team including Leo Berger and Alistair Byars aiding logistics and installation,” explains Szturc.

Talks At The Lane has become a significant part of the contemporary Scottish design scene with an eclectic and informative series of lectures and conversations around the themes of design and making. So far, this season has featured architects, plasterwork experts, a landscape architect and building crafts person, an interior designer, and a furniture maker. 

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For more information on the series and future talks: customlane.co/editorial/talks-at-the-lane/  
Until 26 Apr, Custom Lane, free
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