Product Design. Chattel, an unfitted kitchen furniture range by Mark Lewis, as Design Director at Lewis & Horning (1983-87)
The Chattel was so named as it is a range of kitchen furniture that could become the movable possessions of those who own them.
A dexterous storage facility, the range is able to be applied to all domestic or contract requirements. Each item stands alone, like drawing room furniture. The arrangement forms a kitchen function as extensive or as modest as the room in which they may be installed allows.
Each Chattel is made to the specific requirement of function, style and colour determined during the ordering process. An order pack allows the client, should they be so inclined, to manage the layout, aesthetic and utility for each item themselves.
Chattels in the range can possess any function variation and house any domestic built-in appliance. These can be incorporated within the furniture, selected from those appliances currently available on the market.
The range of fifteen door designs, and various door handle designs, some traditional and some contemporary, can be applied to any of the twenty four items of furniture in the range, including base units, wall units and tall units.
These are complimented with solid maple wall shelves, plate racks, ceiling pot hanging racks and extractor housings. The wall cupboards set over the base units stand on them, free of wall fixings by way of an intermediate steel structure that supports the wall cupboard above and includes two adjustable shelves.
In addition there are three profile options for the solid maple cornice, light baffle and work top back splash and solid edge trims. The colours for the laminated doors and work tops can be chosen from the Formica range and for the painted door designs, cellulose paints are matched to samples provided.
The Chattel concept, unique to Mark Lewis, was first introduced through the retail showroom of Lewis & Horning in Drury lane. Mark was twenty six when his range was launched and the showroom opened.
The range won the Design Council award, a design industry mark held in significant esteem for design excellence,and gained prolific media attention.