Heal's new collections, Tottenham Court Road

Ambrose: Small spaces, smart living


Heal’s latest furniture and accessories collection is the innovative and high quality line from ‘Ambrose’– launched in conjunction with the London Design Festival in September. The exclusive designs come from the Ambrose design consultant, Sir Kenneth Grange, the powerhouse industrial designer who has worked with Kenwood, Kodak and British rail. Named after the grandson of Heal’s founder, Ambrose Heal is all about slick, urban living, with intelligently designed pieces that will fit snugly into smaller spaces. Ambrose furniture also aspires to a long life span, moving away from disposable culture as well as the idea that quality products have to come at a premium price.

New to the Ambrose collection is ‘The Leaning Wall’, a fantastic new shelving system which gets its name from the angle at which the light weight oak-veneered panel is attached to a wall. The entire collection responds ingeniously to economy of space, an issue that Carmel Allen, creative director at Heal’s, takes a great interest in: ‘At Heal’s annual dinner last September, I found myself talking to Sir Kenneth about RIBA’s guidelines for living spaces. We were both frustrated by the fact that most built flats and practically all conversion flats come in at 10% smaller than RIBA recommends’. Facing the reality of urban living, Allen claims ‘just because the staircase leading up to your flat isn’t wide, it shouldn’t mean you have to buy small doll’s house furniture - quite right.

TOG – All Creators TOGether

As part of Heal’s exciting new Furniture floor, the collaborative furniture project TOG – All Creators TOGether has created a fantastic opportunity for customers to work alongside designers to create their own uniquely personal pieces. With the idea of democratic design at its heart, each product can be customized with a range of colours and forms.

A stellar cast of international designers are also on board with the project, including French designer Philippe Starck, British creative Sebastian Bergne, Japanese-born designer Dai Sugasawa and the design duo Sam Hecht and Kim Colin. This is a wonderful opportunity to infuse your furniture with your own taste, and the pieces are also delightfully playful. Particular highlights are Starck’s sleek Misa Joy chair, Sugasawa’s sculptural bench in the shape of an oversized bone and the children’s desk and stool sets by Ambroise Maggiar which conceal images of a voodoo mask and castle. 

And of course don’t forget to check out the new design furniture floor at Heal’s Tottenham Court Road outlet while you’re there, where TOG will join existing collections from Ligne Roset, Kartell, Cassina and De La Espada.