When Rigby & Rigby were looking to collaborate on a series of special furniture and sculpture pieces for our Private Family Office project in Oslo, Norway, we looked no further than Anka Bespoke. From concept, through to design development and final production we worked closely with Toby, Harry, and the team to create some truly stand out pieces.

It was important to the Client that the heritage and evolution of the family business was incorporated into the fabric of the design theory. Specific materials were used in the architecture of the space to embody key values of the company. This was continued in the materiality of several furniture pieces.

This attention to detail is seen most prominently in the rippling form of the reception desk which sits regally on the entrance mezzanine. The monolithic wave design was punctuated with references to the progression of the company from its origin in shipping to current day private investment. Symbolic emblems and morse code milestones were hand carved into the desk by artisans at Anka Bespoke; a subtle nod to the maritime origins of the company. The timber structure was then liquid metal coated and hand patinated to create a transition from dark to light and from rustic to polished, a visual representation of the advancement of the company.

The gradation in the metal finish of the reception desk is repeated in all the other pieces realised with Anka for this project. We designed two side tables and a coffee table making use of the range of these metal finishes. All three tables had a completely unique design; we aimed for every piece to be deliberate and sculptural while being practical for a functioning office space. Anka’s fabrication and finishing teams made use of polishing, pitting and patinating to create three pieces with contrasting yet complementing finishes.

The final statement piece brought to life was the feature chandelier suspended above the primary boardroom table. The light consisted of three timber and metal bars, draped with a LED rope light and finished on the underneath with further morse code references: both elements are a nod to the shipping origins of the business.

The final and most striking piece created in collaboration with Anka Bespoke is undoubtedly the central spiral staircase that takes visitors from the ground floor entrance foyer up to the welcome reception space of the main floor. The sculptural stair is visible from outside the building on Tjuvholmen (Thief Island); the cultural and design hub of the city. The origins of the profile of the stair are taken from the hull of the first company ship and the finishing was painstakingly done by hand in Anka’s Cotswolds workshop. Once installed in Oslo, the Anka team carried out the final touches on site to ensure the structure stood alone as an impactful and striking art piece.

“We approached the team at Anka to realise the design of some very special and personalised pieces for this unique project. Their dedicated team of furniture makers and specialist finishers combined with the Rigby & Rigby Interior Design Studio and together produced a curated selection of custom furniture. During the process we were able to collaborate and push the boundary of design and physics, each piece includes some technically advanced details and hidden solutions. We enjoy working collaboratively with our supply chain to push the design process forward and accomplish a refined product. It was a pleasure working with Anka and we are continuing this great relationship on further domestic and international projects”

James Ashfield, Studio Director – Interior Design, Rigby & Rigby

“Rigby and Rigby approached us a couple of years ago to assist them with their exciting Oslo 195 project. We were involved in making the Ribbon Desk, Coffee table, Side Tables, Feature Chandelier and finishing the Spiral Staircase.  James, Rebecca and Tania visited our Fulham showroom to brainstorm the initial design ideas with myself. The pieces we were asked to make were a real challenge but utilising our making and finishing capabilities meant that we could realise their vision. We worked very closely with Rigby and Rigby throughout the project, with plenty of workshop visits and samples to try different techniques! One piece that we as a team at Anka are very proud of is the Ribbon desk. The hand applied ombre patination, the hand carved morse code and the fluid curves make it a truly stunning piece!”

Toby Clarke, Sales Director, Anka Bespoke

Learn more about the project here