Faye Toogood’s stone furniture is the Best Divine Intervention

At Chatsworth House, contemporary design and craft have always been placed in conversation with historical artefacts and interiors. The Peak District National Park mansion boasts a collection of pieces by global contemporary creatives, commissioned by the Cavendish family and strategically combined into the 16th-century interiors. 

Among the latest works created in response to the space is a collection by Faye Toogood that forms part of ‘Assemblages’, her ongoing exploration of domestic shapes that can be both abstract and functional. Placed in the house’s Chapel, the Purbeck Marble objects are reminiscent of Neolithic forms, featuring a mix of rough and polished edges. 

Dubbed ‘Standing Stones' (and joined in a second room by a series of similarly sculptural furniture pieces in bog oak), the designs were presented as sacred objects and complemented by the designer's bronze seating, inviting visitors to pause for a moment of contemplation, they reference a local history of stone circles in the area.

‘I wanted to retain the quiet, more spiritual feeling within the chapel,’ said Toogood. ‘For me it is a place to spend time and reflect.’ The starting point for the installation was Chatsworth house itself, but the British designer explored local history through her work. ‘Not far from Chatsworth you’ll find Stanton Moor and a 4,000-year-old stone circle known as the Nine Ladies,’ she explains. 

‘There’s a story that they were originally ladies who were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath, along with the lone fiddler who provided the music. I love how [my installation] connected with the local history and the landscape that predates the estate by thousands of years.’

fayetoogood.com
chatsworth.org

A version of this article appears in the February 2024 issue of Wallpaper* – dedicated to the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024 – available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today