My Favourite Room
Issued on behalf of Stills
WHEN Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed his famous art deco high-backed chairs and dining table in 1904 who knows what thought he gave to the lives that would be played out around them.
A man of great imagination – way ahead of his time – he would no doubt have been delighted by the scenes of family life, friendship, frivolity and fancy dress that David Lea, Creative Director of Cardiff-based company Stills Design, and his wife Jayne have served up around the classic dining suite.
Bought by Jayne’s parents 20 years ago, the dining table and chairs was the perfect wedding present for a couple whose creativity carries right through to the kitchen. But finding a room to accommodate them was a tall order – the chair backs are five feet high!
Luckily, in 1880 the wealthy owner of a ship breaker’s yard in Newport docks had built an imposing bay-windowed, wooden-shuttered family home on Caerau Road, Stow Hill, Newport. Bursting with character it was the perfect place, and in 1990 David, Jayne – and the Mackintosh dining suite – moved in. The creativity continued and they were soon joined by daughters Laura and Olivia.
Foodies to the core, the dining room has always been the family’s focal point. Purple painted walls and polished teak floors (originally decking from a ship) have given the large room a comforting cosiness.
“The dining room just draws you in,” said David. “Despite our busy schedules we always make time to eat together and catch up on what we’ve all been doing during the day.
The Leas are also extremely sociable – a stroke of luck for the extended family and friends who are regular visitors to the house.
“This room has become my favourite. Over the years it has been host to so many parties, celebrations and happy gatherings. It’s a very easy, comfortable and warm room that is big enough to host a lot of people and yet small enough to be cosy for just the four of us”
In fact in quieter moments David uses the dining room as a sanctuary to summon up inspiration for his Stills design projects.
“I can sink into the sofa and feed my imagination from the bookshelves that line a whole wall of the room,” he said.
With the fire flickering in the grand old hearth, it is here that some of David’s ground-breaking design ideas have developed, many happy memories have been made and the family have flourished.
David’s favourite thing …
“What I love about the Mackintosh table and chairs is their sense of occasion while remaining very practical pieces of furniture,” says David.
“The simple, traditional construction techniques are robust but have a sculptural elegance. The design, while being rooted in tradition, manages to appear very modern, a trait that is rare in contemporary furniture.
“It would be difficult to find a new piece of furniture which will improve with age, is sensible so that it can be used on a daily basis and will give me such pleasure by just being there.”
