The Work
We design, conceive and produce objets d’art, furniture and interior architecture for our clients.
Working alone or with a small team, projects range from Grand interiors taking thousands of hours to drawings and occasional repairs.
The majority of the output is commisioned but, particularly with artwork, it may be made speculatively.
On technique:
We use traditional joints and typically solid wood on free standing furniture pieces. being careful to select the wood for grain and colour according to it’s place in any one piece. Labour is typically 80%-95% of the cost of a work so choosing appropriately good materials is a constant. With cabinetwork, (eg. a kitchen), secondary construction will use plywood with all face materials in solid.
Sculpture may be metal or plaster from clay models, carved stone or wood.
The Process
Custom work is different from limited production and very different from mass production. The custom piece considers the particular needs of the future owner and user, their likes and dislikes. Typically it is going to a specific location where scaling requirements, site ergonomics and Colours , styles and materials surrounding it, ask of it to be part of a balanced whole.
How does the commission process start ?
Typically a small design fee covers initial meetings , measurings and assessments of all the projects’ requirements and the clients’ hopes and design guidance. For a couple of weeks we like to ponder , sketch, research and hopefully come up with a few potential ideas .
There is then a designer and client meeting where the ideas are considered. Should the client(s) not find joy, they are free to move on.
All being well and a design and approximate budget agreed on , a contract is worked out , detailed drawings prepared for further review and client input. Time frames are considered and the logistics of delivery and /or installation at its final site.
If the commision was just for design, then drawings and specifications can be assembled for others to execute.
Prices, Payments and Values.
Custom work requires considered design for one off pieces that are almost never modular , design, purchasing ,lists, meetings and oversight typically involve 15-20% of the time effort of a project. In contrast, mass production items typically have very high sales markups and manufacturing and design processes whose goal is as much to lower cost as it is to raise quality.
The auction market offers furniture that is properly made at prices usually several factors lower than custom work, more serious antiques are comparable, only rarified artistic or historically significant pieces will go for more than replacement cost.
Some projects are simple and predictable, often a client needs to know a final price. The fixed price contract often paid 50% deposit and the rest on completion. The grander the project the more the payment spread, with three, four or more partial payments.
Sometimes a project is long and unpredictable, particularly rebuilds and restorations. These are usually done on a time and materials basis with often bi-weekly reports and billing , an established hourly rate that covers all productive efforts and a ten percent add-on to material invoices. With due oversight this allows project flexibility , fair returns and value for money for the client.
On James Langston
Born in England , he has lived in Newport, RI since 1993. After gaining a degree in geology at the University of Exeter, he trained as a traditional shipwright at J. Hinks and Sons in Appledore, Devon. He worked extensively in the wooden yacht world and spent a dozen years in the West Indies ultimately steering towards a specialization in furniture. After moving to Newport, Langston studied drawing and sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Langston makes furniture, sculpture, drawings, and produces interiors for domestic and marine situations. Designed and built at his studio at 85 Thames Street.
