BOWNESS-ON-WINDERMERE.- A selection of stunning contemporary furniture will go on show at Blackwell, The Arts & Crafts House, Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria.

A Design Lineage: The Rusland Movement at Blackwell will open on 18 January and run until 9 June 2019.

The Rusland Movement creates furniture inspired by nature that will stand the test of time. Made by hand from a workshop in south Cumbria, the company creates pieces that are destined to become family heirlooms.

Select pieces going on show throughout the house include an elegant cocktail cabinet, sofa and chair, desk, sideboard, bedside table, mirror and drawer unit.

Since it opened in 2001 Blackwell has built up a reputation of displaying contemporary work by crafts people who have been inspired by the house’s Arts & Crafts architecture and design.

Helen Watson, Director of Programming at Lakeland Arts said: “The Rusland Movement creates stunning pieces. Its craftspeople and designers are all based in Cumbria and invest many hours into the pieces they create.”

In the exhibition visitors will explore how furniture designs are sketched out, realised in 3D models and crafted in the Cumbrian studio.

Visitors will be able to meet their team and gain an insight into The Rusland Movement’s creative process in Monthly Meet the Maker events. There will also a programme of lectures and talks taking place in Blackwell’s Main Hall.

People who commission from The Rusland Movement are buying a work of art that becomes part of the family, to be handed-down through generations. No two pieces are ever the same - adding to their complete uniqueness.

Dan Critchley, Founder of The Rusland Movement, first visited Blackwell almost two decades ago and the experience had a big impact on the then Kendal College student.

“I was training to be a cabinet maker and was exploring different design ideas. We had a college trip to Blackwell and until that moment I knew nothing of the Arts & Crafts Movement.

“What I realised that day, was that the direction my work was taking was an Arts & Crafts one. That visit cemented my love of Arts & Crafts and ultimately led to the creation of The Rusland Movement.

"It will be a very proud moment seeing the furniture we create on display in Blackwell.”

The team of nine dedicated craftsmen and women at The Rusland Movement combine traditional techniques and innovative thinking to create flawless contemporary pieces that blend the design aesthetic synonymous with the Arts & Crafts Movement.

Its craftspeople can spend 1000 hours working on a piece of furniture.

The bespoke furniture on display as part of the exhibition is available for purchase as are smaller pieces of woodwork and furnishing in Blackwell’s contemporary Craft Shop. A catalogue will be at reception.