Penman's Box

About the Item

The Penman’s Box has been beautifully handcrafted in a combination of two woods, rippled ash and walnut, and is highlighted with nickel metal detailing. The box’s striking exterior is veneered in a rippled olive ash on the top half, whilst the lower half has been covered in a vertical Macassar ebony. The lid of the box features a porthole-inspired glass window which reveals the box’s contents from a bird’s-eye view. The lid has a locking device which opens to reveal radial slip-matched walnut accompanied by distinctive orange leather pen slots. The upper tier of the Penman’s Box features two removable trays and the lower tier features three walnut pen storage drawers which are opened with sleek push catches. In total, the box is designed to hold 32 pens. The base of the box features a hammered trompe l’oeil inspired detail which looks like a soft metal stand but is actually beautifully crafted and painted wood.

Creator:
LINLEY London (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)Width: 10.63 in (27 cm)Depth: 10.63 in (27 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Ash,Leather,Macassar,Nickel,Walnut
Place of Origin:
United Kingdom
Period:
2010-
Date of Manufacture:
2016
Production Type:
New & Custom(One of a Kind)
Estimated Production Time:
Available Now
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU170324854033
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LINLEY London

Consider it the ultimate royal seal of approval: When the young LINLEY founder, David Linley (b. 1961), made a decorative box as a teenager — a project he’d crafted at Bedales School that impressed his teacher — it was proudly passed around as a cigar box at parties by the Queen Mother. Of course, the royal treatment makes a bit more sense when you consider that the Queen was simply grandmother to Linley, formally David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, second earl of Snowdon, son of Princess Margaret and photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones.

Born in London, Linley was creative from an early age — a characteristic eagerly encouraged at home with his parents and at Kensington Palace with the extended family. After completing his studies in carpentry and design at Parnham House in 1982, Linley set up his first studio. Within three years he had moved to King’s Road in Chelsea and, with his friend painter and designer Matthew Rice, officially cofounded LINLEY, a source for luxury furniture and accessories and bespoke carpentry and millwork.

The brand was a quick success. When Linley presented its first line at Christie’s in 1985 — a collection of furniture and more called “Venetian,” which was inspired by the Italian city’s grandiose Gothic architecture — the entire lot sold out on the day of its presentation. Besides Linley the brand being a commercial success, Linley the founder was somewhat of a marvel: At the time, the designer was the first of the royal family to undertake any sort of vocational work, let alone establish their own brand.

LINLEY has become known over the years for its fine craftsmanship, detailed marquetry and inlay and use of rare and exquisite woods. Its case pieces, seating, other furnishings and decorative objects owe consistently to traditional methods and conventions as often as they do clean modernity. The designer has long looked to Chippendale furniture as well as other styles that gained prominence during the 18th century as much as he has toward the future.

Now, in addition to its furniture, accessories and custom millwork, LINLEY operates an interior design business, outfitting homes (and a few cars and yachts) in the brand’s singularly chic style. And while its output is marked by style, craftsmanship still comes first: “I’m a maker, not a designer,” the earl once proclaimed.

Find a collection of LINLEY furniture on 1stDibs.