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At GAZE BURVILL our mission is to create the finest outdoor furniture through an honest commitment to design integrity, craftsmanship and comfort.
The inspiration for Gaze Burvill came from a beautiful woodland in Dorset called Hooke Park. Simon Burvill was lured to Hooke Park College, to a unique study course, where he could follow his passion for timber and its source. He looked at the complete process of woodland management through to product development, exploring uses for the by-products of forestry practice, the thinnings and green wood, in both product design and construction. John Makepeace, founder of Hooke Park, and renowned designer, teacher and environmentalist, selected Christian Gaze, himself a graduate of Makepeace's School for Craftsmen, as a teacher on the 'Forest Manufacturing' course which he was running there: a designer with a strong artistic flair, and also an expert craftsman.
Creating Gaze Burvill in 1993, Christian and Simon found they shared a vision for creating an outdoor furniture collection, which would use only environmentally sound timber, sourced relatively close to home from expertly and sustainably managed forests. All designs would have the essential characteristics of being comfortable and practical, while pleasing to the eye.
The timber has, of necessity, been mainly sourced from France to date, but Simon, a founder member of Woodland Heritage, is actively seeking to find a source of timber within the UK, which satisfies the quality requirements of Gaze Burvill. He is also keen to help in the nurturing of our woodlands so that one day we can have a much greater sustainable supply of high quality timber from our own well managed forests in the UK, as they do in France.
Using some of the time-honoured skills of the traditional craftsman, like steam-bending the oak into strong, graceful curves, and fuming the timber to darken it slightly, together with some of the modern tricks of technology, like CAD design, Gaze Burvill now thrives as a leading creator of fine oak furniture for the garden and terrace. While the designs are new and clearly contemporary, they have a simplicity and timeless appeal which allows them to sit comfortably in both traditional and contemporary settings.
Gaze Burvill is for people who care about wood, and who enjoy the quiet pleasure of owning pieces of lasting quality and beauty.
Gallery of a selection of our pieces
(click on them for a slideshow)
Swing Seat
Oval Broadwalk Table
Spiral Broadwalk Bench
Dining for 12
RHS Wisley
Meander Loveseat
Broadwalk Benches
At the Workshop
Shaped Seats
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