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Aboon them a’ ye tak your place – The Fisk Skye chair

Every great chieftain needs a great family seat, and with 25th January soon upon us what better vantage point from which to enjoy the bacchanalian delights of a Burns supper than our Skye chair.

Skye epitomises so much of the romance of Scotland’s Highlands, from the majestic peaks of the Cuillins to the bonnie boat speeding across the sea to Skye. Having made many trips to this wonderful island, enjoying the hill walking and the hospitality (including Talisker, that wonderful star in the whisky firmament) Jackie and I were determined to try and capture this spirit in a Fisk furniture piece.

The initial bolt of inspiration actually struck over 700 miles away – in Copenhagen. One of my favourite cities, we loved the welcoming generosity displayed by the many pavement cafes and bars who place sheepskins on their chairs (and the fact that the Danes don’t pilfer them!) Why, I wondered, was it so rare to see a chair that is actually fully upholstered in sheepskin? And so the idea of this chair was born.

The very first priority of any chair is that it successfully serves its primary purpose – comfort. So we were very particular in our deliberations over the rake of the Skye chair’s back, the angle of the lugs – in short we wanted a chair that was as much a hug as a seat. It also had to have a presence and personality to do justice to its namesake, so we carefully selected a black long-haired sheepskin to provide the very essence of windswept and interesting. We want all of our Fisk furniture pieces to be as much a talking point in a loft or a croft and so decided on a counterpoint to the sheepskin with a 50’s-inspired cocktail chair-style base, upholstered in feature broad-chalked pinstripe. The finished piece is so striking and definitely one of my favourites.

With a tumbler of whisky lovingly poured from the Fisk Staffa drinks cabinet and rested within reach on a Howard table, you couldn’t have a better environment to contemplate the honest, sonsie face o’ the great chieftain o’ the puddin’-race.

Do make an appointment to view our full range in our showroom.

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From Drawing Board to Finished Piece – Staffa Drinks Cabinet

Who hasn’t been struck by the primeval geometry of Staffa’s basalt columns and the romance of Fingal’s Cave? It has inspired writers, explorers and, most famously, Mendelssohn who composed his Hebrides Overture in homage.

It was certainly an image that had lurked in the back of my mind over the years, reinforced by many a painting and engraving, before forcing its way into our thoughts as a prospective, and unusual, furniture design. I put pen to paper with many initial ideas – some attempting to also reflect the fluid outline of the island or its craggy brow, but we felt these were aping the island and that the sketches of, for example, an occasional table appeared forced.

It is often the ‘art of omission’ which enables a motif to provide substance to a design without overwhelming it – what you leave out being as important as what you include – and the elegant simplicity of Wirkkala’s glassware helped inspire the stylised, irregular columned doors of Fisk’s Staffa cabinet. The irregularity was further amplified by offsetting the doors and we drew the eye to this intriguing asymmetry with a brass finish fore-edge.

Influences come from many directions and it was actually a piece of glassware by Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala, in an exhibition of Nordic Modernist Design at the National Museum of Scotland in January 2017, that proved vital in how Fisk would reference this pillared island in a piece of furniture.

Of course, a drinks cabinet should hint at the pleasures within and this brass detailing acts as an invitation to open and explore a glamorous glass and smoked mirror interior.

In sketching out this piece we were as conscious as ever of our desire for Fisk furniture to complement any interior. We are delighted that the Staffa can be the centrepiece to a Cosmopolitan in the country as much as a Manhattan in – well, Manhattan.

Do make an appointment to view the Staffa in our showroom by appointment.

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Creative Edinburgh Awards nomination

We were incredibly proud that Fisk was shortlisted for the City Award at the 2017 Creative Edinburgh Awards.

Now an annual fixture, these awards aim to shine a light on Edinburgh’s creative achievements over the past year. The City Award looks for an “outstanding creative contribution that has promoted Edinburgh nationally or internationally…or has incorporated a cultural idea specific to the city.” It was our architecture-inspired cabinets and rugs, including the Circus, New Town and Playfair designs, which were singled out by the judges.

Congratulations to tech incubator, Codebase, who won on the night. We were thrilled to be judged in such innovative and creative company, shortlisted alongside GRAS’s designs for Edinburgh’s iconic Ross Bandstand; Hidden Door Festival’s reopening of the neglected Leith Theatre; Open Close’s illuminating arts project and Boat’s graphic novel.

We have designed each Fisk piece to be as striking in a croft or a loft, and with special finishes available to order. We’d love to introduce them to you in person, by appointment at our new Fisk showroom – so do get in touch.

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Fisk – Designs for life

Fisk has been catching the eye of some key names in the style media, from GQ to The Times, as we unveil our beautifully against the grain bespoke furniture launch collection.

We loved GQ’s Thomas Stephenson’s championing of the Fisk Rannoch chaise as one of the ‘10 Coolest Things in the World this Week’:

“Inspired by Scotland’s overlooked architecture and landscapes, Fisk’s first collection features 12 pieces, including our favourite, the Rannoch Chaise. Upholstered with sheepskin and reclined over natural antler legs, it’ll add a frisson of highland sophistication to your pad.”

Elsewhere, Fisk has been featured as part of The Times Bricks & Mortar Scotland supplement’s cover story on Scotland’s designers. Gabriella Bennett, wrote:

“Elsewhere in the capital, other new launches have been making waves in the luxury sector. Fisk is a permanent addition to Edinburgh’s design scene from the couple behind the interior design company Ampersand.

Better known for overhauling the insides of the nation’s finest homes for the past 25 years, Callum and Jackie Fisken’s first foray into furniture reimagines Scotland’s landscape as upmarket occasional pieces. Their Staffa drinks cabinet takes its form from the eponymous island’s basalt columns, while rugs with patterns replicating the civic layout of Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town give a nod to the 250th anniversary of the capital’s re-creation.

The inaugural range also includes sheepskin-clad armchairs that wouldn’t look out of a place in a chic hotel lobby and a chaise longue with whimsical antler feet. Pieces are made to order with an 8 to 12-week lead time.”

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Launch of Fisk bespoke furniture range

If you didn’t wake up on Friday morning with memories of abundant withered vine walkways, peering crows perched on railings, Georgian fancy dress and some suitably intriguing and heady signature New Town Punch and Highland Fling cocktails, then you surely weren’t at the beautifully against the grain affair that was the launch of Fisk.

Our twelve unique bespoke furniture pieces, were unveiled to an invited party including Paul Walker of Walker Slater; Gabriella Bennett of The Times; Rachel Simmonds, Programme Director of Interior Design at Edinburgh College of Art and guests from Colefax Fowler; Drennan Antiques; Rem Associates; Melford property development; Zone Architects and ESPC Premier Living magazine, as well as our lovely friends and clients.

The Fisk launch collection ranges from the rugged sheepskin-upholstered Rannoch chaise and Skye chair, to elegant architecture-inspired cabinets and hand-tufted rugs, including the Circus, New Town and Playfair designs, influenced directly by Edinburgh’s Georgian architectural heritage. Each Fisk piece is equally at home in a croft house or penthouse, with special finishes available to order.

We loved welcoming guests and introducing them to Fisk bespoke furniture, reflecting on our long-held passion for reflecting the beauty of everyday motifs in a unique furniture collection, hand-made and expertly designed.

See more snaps from the evening over on our Fisk Instagram page.

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Scottish design is Fisk for the future

Our beautifully against the grain bespoke furniture company has launched its first collection, inspired by Scotland’s overlooked architecture and landscapes.

While thousands of residents and tourists fill the streets of Scotland’s capital and the moors and machairs of its coastline this August, Fisk has launched its first furniture collection based on the everyday, often overlooked details of our architectural and cultural surroundings so many of us might walk straight past.

The collection of twelve pieces includes the Giles rug inspired by the grilles beneath the windows of the Bank of Scotland headquarters on the Mound in the capital; an elegant Circus cabinet inspired by the graceful Georgian crescents of James Gillespie Graham’s Randolph Crescent, Ainslie Place and Moray Place in Edinburgh; a Playfair cabinet evoking Edinburgh’s neo-Classical architecture and its world-renowned purveyor, William Henry Playfair; and our New Town rug, subtly referencing James Craig’s acclaimed New Town plan designed for Edinburgh in 1767, and celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. Elsewhere in our collection a Punk sofa riffs on the genre’s appropriation of classic Scottish textiles and patterns, with its feature buckles and leather and stud detailing.

We are not just inspired by urban design and culture, but by the evocative and rugged landscapes of Scotland’s Highlands and Islands. The Fisk Staffa cabinet reflects the incredible basalt columns of the island, its irregularly columned, off-centre doors opening to reveal a smoked glass. The striking Rannoch chaise boasts dappled curly sheepskin upholstery reclining over natural antler legs, reminiscent of the moorlands of the Scottish Highlands, and an Arran and Skye chair draw similarly unique design inspiration from their environments.

We are thrilled to unveil these beautiful pieces.

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The road untravelled

Many roads have led us here, but it is most definitely the one which lies ahead which excites us most this week, as we finally see our bespoke furniture launch collection unveiled and we take our vision for Fisk into the public gaze. What an adventure, with so much opportunity. We’re so glad to have you with us.

Callum and I have spent more than 25 years building and finessing our understanding of design, luxury craftsmanship and style. So much more than that, though, we believe our passions and inspirations are always what makes our work truly individual for clients.

Fisk bespoke furniture is the natural progression for our talents, embracing our enthusiasm for the everyday details of urban and rural environments and reflecting them in beautiful designs which exude character. Scotland’s extraordinary architecture and landscapes were the most obvious place to start, offering inspiration which proved hard to contain in only twelve pieces (so watch this space.. )

We hope to inspire you as you enjoy viewing Fisk’s launch collection online. Follow us over on our Instagram and Twitter pages for updates, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or ideas about the pieces. Indeed, if you see us out and about with our sketchpads and cameras, you might just catch sight of the intriguing Fisk creations still to come.