24.5.26

Yes, when designed by AWN Pugin and helps us value effort and the human experience in a social media, algorithm & AI dominated world.

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was the principal visionary and driving force of the Gothic Revival Movement; a romantic & ideological protest to the Industrial Revolution. It was the forerunner to the celebrated Arts & Crafts, Aesthetic, Art Deco and Art Nouveau movements.

Pugin’s vision provides profound lessons for today’s AI era. His arguments for preserving human dignity, valuing craftsmanship over sheer output and retaining a moral compass; remind us not to let algorithms dictate the value of the human experience.

The name might not be well known outside Antique, Design & Architecture circles but his work is celebrated globally. As one of the two principal designers of the Houses of Parliament; he was responsible for the face of Big Ben, the Queen Elizabeth Tower, the Gothic interiors, furnishings and finishes to the Houses of Parliament.

He despised the Industrial Revolution and mass production, which he believed stripped labour of its dignity. He was an obsessive polymath, prolific writer, liturgical designer, and social critic whose vision extended to every aspect of daily life and material culture. 

After completing the design for Big Ben, Pugin suffered a full breakdown and was unable to recognise anyone or speak coherently until he passed some months later at the young age of 41.

His legacy lives on, as did his designs.

Collaboration with J B Crace & Sons

J B Crace & Sons were the Interior Designers to only the highest of English Society with an enviable reputation. Pugin met the Crace family whilst working on the Windsor Castle commission for Queen Victoria.

After meeting Pugin – they changed their business model to reflect Pugin’s brilliance.

J B Crace & Sons won the contract to design and build furniture for the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) but oddly outsourced the manufacture of their own designs to third partes, choosing only to manufacture furniture design by Pugin.

Pugin Designed, J B Crace & Sons Made

Cheeky has obtained a pair of Gothic Revival chairs designed by AWN Pugin and made by J B Crace & Sons; the tell-tale being the treatment of the bottom of the front legs.

Items like these chairs were made after Pugin’s death around 1865 – 1870. They were also made by Gillows of Lancaster and can retail for around £2,500 each.

Both the Gillows and Crace versions are made from Oak and feature a head rail and back rail with carved florets and chamfered details throughout. The back legs with an extended detail, a little kick out is such a delightful feature.

These chairs are more than just chairs; they are a legacy to one the United Kingdom’s greatest designers and a reminder to appreciate the value of human expression and experience in an increasingly automated, social media and AI influenced world.

They are not only beautiful in form and function but a design concept that delivers an important and worthwhile reminder 150+ years later.