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Furniture designer likes to push the boundaries
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WHO is he?
Mark Boddington is the great, great grandson of Henry Boddington, founder of the famous English ale Boddingtons. Having won many school awards for furniture making, Mark Boddington followed his own passion and trained with the eminent furniture designer John Makepeace.
At age 21, Boddington set up his first workshop on Grosvenor Estate, Cheshire, in 1985, home to the The Duke and Duchess of Westminster, who were about to extensively remodel their home. He was then introduced to their interior designer John Stefanidis. Commissions soon flowed in from Eaton Hall and other families in Britain, the US and Venezuela. He is now founder, chairman and chief designer of Silverlining.
Tell us about some of your works and the one you are most proud of.
The Infinity Table. The design cannot be made with wood. It is achieved using a Formula One carbon and composite core, allowing the flowing form to be achieved, as well as high strength. The enduring red color is achieved through dyeing technology — a technique Silverlining has developed to achieve any color in wood.
The Infinity Table design came as a result of studying human emotional triggers, physiological and psychological effects of shapes and color and the means of integrating this mechanism in design. Color in particular affects human moods, physiological responses and perceptions of time, size, temperature and ambiance.
The red color is also proven to be the most attractive color found in nature and symbolizes luck in Chinese culture.
The name comes from the void in the middle that creates the focal point that plays with natural human curiosity.
What projects are you working on now?
Current projects include houses in Singapore, Shanghai, London and Los Angeles and several yachts over 90 meters in length.
One of the project’s encompasses sculptural furniture using the textures and colors of nature for indoor/outdoor living for an art collector and another a luxury home office with secret rooms that play to a gentleman’s ego.
Describe your design style.
As we create bespoke furniture the style can vary depending on the vision of the client. Our bespoke work mirrors our client’s persona be it their work, interests, art or architecture... Our own collector designs such as the Infinity and Parabolic are to push the boundaries of what 21st century design and craftsmanship and design can be, as well as challenging pre-conceptions of what is possible.
Where are you most creative?
Visiting and experiencing other civilizations, architecture and history and, of course, looking at nature both with our eyes and under the microscope.
What does your home mean to you?
A home should be a place of joy and happy memories reinforcing why we go to work, why we should self develop and why we should relax with family and friends.
A house should provide all the needs of our senses — sound, sight, smell, touch and taste.
What will be the next big design trend?
3D printing which can create prototypes and furniture structures.
Digital, laser and computer technology to allow complex designs to be achieved.
The best designs of any century always endure the test of time and feature the best knowledge, materials and skills of the day, be it Ottoman jewelry, Georgian silver or Ming Dynasty vases.
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