Made by precision engineers in a workshop in Hastings, on the South coast of England, Soane’s Knurled collection is inspired by exquisitely detailed 1930s metalwork. An innovative approach of nurturing established craft skills whilst embracing the latest technology is required to achieve the complex engraved design, pairing precision engineering with traditional patination techniques.
Specialist operators use a large, complex CNC machine (a computer-controlled cylindrical cutter which moves along multiple axes to carve or cut designs) to create the fine engraving. Working in tandem with this new craft skill allows complex designs to be made with great precision every time – although the machine is only ever as accurate as the craftsperson controlling and operating the programme!
CNC machines are used to create many of Soane’s most loved metal lighting designs, from the finely engraved details on our Knurled collection to the neat bevelled edges of the Petal Wall Light, the Rise and Fall ceiling lights’ precisely counterweighted brass domes to simple screw holes, ensuring consistently perfect placement. Excess cut brass is collected and melted down, ready to be recycled and re-used.
