A collaboration between product designer Adam Cornish and Mast Furniture has resulted in Beam, a furniture range that is detailed, smooth and very, very good looking. In the Beam Collection, Cornish has created a celebration of Australian design and it’s bound to be a winner.

Manufactured in Brisbane and Melbourne by Mast Furniture, the Beam collection comprises sofas, armchairs and a coffee table that can be configured to suit every application and a range of requirement.

Early conversations about the design of Beam focused on developing a new product category for Mast, who are known predominantly for their work with timber.

As a furniture design and manufacturing company, Mast Furniture has an in-depth knowledge of traditional woodworking combined with an investment in modern technology, and this enabled the company to translate Cornish’s vision into reality.

Related: Design, success and process with Adam Cornish

Rory Morgan, director of Mast Furniture explains, “When discussing with Adam how the timber elements would attach to the upholstered seat, the easy option would have been to screw some legs on and essentially get the same effect.

“However, our approach is always ‘do something as good as it can be done’ so we created a true structural platform with mortice and tenon joinery and lap joints. Instead of hiding rails underneath we moved them forward to be on display, similar to the exposed structural beams you may see in architectural work. This is what the product name ‘Beam’ references.”

As the first collaboration between Mast Furniture and Cornish, Beam was three years in the making. The design of Beam celebrates a marriage of upholstery and timber and the collection showcases the balance that Cornish has achieved with the two components.

For Cornish, creating is in his DNA and this new collection is yet another stellar offering from the talented product designer. The processes of creating a design vary from designer to designer, however, Cornish offers insight into the inspiration for Beam saying, “When designing the Beam Sofa for Mast, I asked myself one simple question – how would I design a sofa for myself?”

“This seemingly simple question elicits a very honest design process. I wanted something that was soft and organic, yet sculptural in form, with generous seam allowances provoking soft billowing upholstery,” says Cornish.

And this Cornish has achieved as the curvaceous form of the Beam sofa and chairs is all about comfort and great contemporary living. Then add in a coffee table and it becomes a perfect grouping of sculptural art.

Australian design and manufacturing expertise have joined together and created a truly beautiful homegrown product that ticks every box for lovers of fine furniture. Beam is a shining example of what can be achieved when like minds meet and meld.

Adam Cornish
adamcornish.com

Mast Furniture
mastfurniture.com.au

Photography
Toby Scott

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