Lighting as art: Tom Raffield champions sustainable interior design with steam-bending techniques

A clear step away from today's throwaway culture, Tom Raffield's lighting range uses steam-bending to create spectacular pieces designed to be beautiful and practical for years to come. 

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Handcrafted in a wood workshop in Cornwall, Tom Raffield's furniture and lighting range uses a traditional steam bending process that has been reworked to create complex 3D shapes for the modern world.

Steam-bending allows the wood to be manipulated without glues or large wastage and Tom Raffield explains that the technique "is really an art process, enabling the artist to shape wood as you might shape clay".

Longevity is a key focus in the designs, with Raffield championing sustainability and minimising the impact on the environment.

In fact, all of the timber used comes from sustainably managed woodlands where more trees are planted than cut down.

There's also the option for bespoke commission work, with each project overseen by Tom Raffield.