Take a Seat with SmithMatthias

9 May 2025

Designing for comfort in the contract industry has its discomforts.

Ours is a business where the beauty of creativity has to be scrutinised under the lens of pragmatism – fire regulations, certifications, testing, durability and endurance are only a few of the things we have to bear in mind when we create. Client fabric choices need to wear well, our structures need to endure the impact of knocks, nudges and repeated use, our styles need to remain timeless, while reflecting our clients’ needs and trends.

So when we invite collaborators into our circle, our briefs must balance our internal scrutiny with the openness to let a different vision in – from designers who are used to creating with less parameters and more freedom.

To create our latest piece, our brief aimed to explore the constantly evolving need of our clients to bridge the gap between the domestic and the professional space. With more contract projects demanding this duality, our ambition was to co-create a collection with a softer, more domestic visual language that brought a new sensitivity to hard working commercial spaces.

Today, we Take a Seat with SmithMatthias, the Liverpool-based studio founded by Jack Smith and Gemma Matthias , collaborating with us to bring this vision to life through our latest project; Bruton, a perfectly poised modular sofa collection.

We started by asking how they felt about the collaboration – bringing their soft and organic aesthetic to a unique contract furniture space.

“With every collaboration, we’re very mindful that it is a process of the coming together of our studio style, our DNA and the company we’re working with. We have to be flexible and fluid. But one of the really exciting things about working with Morgan is their attention to Craftsmanship and their connection with timber. We really enjoyed working within that space. ” SmithMatthias

When talking about how they encapsulated their vision, SmithMatthias were single-minded in their approach “We talked about the idea of tailored comfort a lot, we wanted something that felt soft and domestic, but crisp and timeless, something that wasn’t fashion-led or that looked tired after being used a few times. The materials were very important to us, they allowed us to incorporate our vision for the sofa’s sustainability without a lot of compromise.”

But creating a modular sofa that is soft, modern, timeless and sustainable within the contract sphere demands ambition and dexterity “Getting the idea of tailored comfort just right was very important to us. Morgan were amazing, very warm and patient, letting us try countless versions of the perfect filling combination until we reached a feeling that was just right – we used pocket springs, latex rubberised coconut coir, wool and feather to achieve the right amount of support and softness. We obsessed over details that no one will probably ever notice, but Morgan gave us the space to work like that, it was a supportive and collaborative creative journey.”

Beautiful in every detail, but conscious of its sustainability responsibilities, Bruton is the first collection in our catalogue to use sustainable fire-rated materials “When companies talk about sustainability, we often feel like there is a bit of catching up to do. But Morgan have put a lot of the work in, to help us achieve the right comfort levels, the right look and the sustainability certifications.”

Wanting to further explore what ‘the right look’ felt like, we delved into the aesthetics behind Bruton – discussing how the beauty of the Somerset location influenced the design vision and process

“Bruton is one of those places that fills us with a lot of joy and we liked the idea of bringing that into the design, to create a sofa that felt generous while having this kind of lightness to it as well. The walk through the Hauser & Wirth gardens is always inspirational, being surrounded by undulating flower beds, full of echinacea.

Their petals have such beautiful organic shapes, they inspired the design of the sofa legs. Contract furniture tends to be designed with a lot of straight lines for efficiency, but we wanted to explore a softer look that questioned the negative spaces as well as what we see. So the legs are petal shaped and they change depending on where you look at the sofa. There is a softness to the way we see Bruton, it has a very organic feel but also an elegance that we hope we’ve captured. It’s a place that created a very special aesthetic in our subconscious.”

With a brief that invited a less ‘conventional’ exploration of contract design, we talked about how SmithMatthias interpreted the challenge.

“The brief challenged us in ways that we wanted to be challenged – to create a piece that had a timber base, that was foam free, that pushed the machine and manual craftsmanship to elevate a domestic aesthetic that would remain timeless.

Being able to push craftsmanship, to explore timber construction, for example in the way the legs look from different angles or how we decided to leave a very subtle gap where the arms connect to the backrest and the legs connect to the base – it was challenging, but also exciting.

The result is a clean, almost Japanese sort of aesthetic that’s very subtle, with details that we care about, that not everyone will see. We wanted to add soul through Craftsmanship, through our choice of materials and small touches, like the way the fabric is folded. We think about these things because it’s a responsibility we’ve been given, to create the best thing that we can.”

With every collaboration, we invite partners that help elevate what we do, but who we also feel a connection with – both aesthetically and in spirit. In Bruton, SmithMatthias and Morgan have created a functional, timeless piece that gives our clients an organic, soft but hardworking collection, founded in a love of craft and nature.

“Nature is important in every aspect of our life, we both grew up in the countryside and nature means a lot to us. Our rural background has shaped the way we want to work and look after things.” As founder Jack Smith elaborates “I started off cabinet making, using locally sourced wood – it’s the kind of thing that gets ingrained in you. But we also have a fascination with furniture, we’ve visited Milan every year, for years… we travel, we love art and design. It’s an interesting marriage of these two aspects that make us who we are.”

To see and feel the beauty of Bruton, join us for the collection launch at CDW on display at British Collection, stand B16.