'The thing is I’m quite fun,’ says Sebastian Cox. For some reason, this makes his wife Brogan erupt in laughter. Maybe that is because he has spent the past hour earnestly discussing what keeps him up at night – namely the environmental effects of globalisation and the challenges of running a business committed to doing more good than harm to the planet. He does not pretend to have any other ambitions than to simply change the world. But yes, he is fun, too.
Seb designs and makes simple, beautiful furniture in small batches using traditional methods and British hardwoods. He is also an advocate for regenerative design and, in 2022, was awarded the honour of becoming a Royal Designer for Industry. The fact that someone who was just 36 years old was regarded by many as an exemplar of a furniture business owner in a time of climate crisis says as much about Seb’s drive and achievements as it does about the fact that regenerative design – a concept developed in the 1970s – is still in a nascent stage of capturing the imagination of the furniture industry.
In 2009, Seb graduated with a BA in Furniture Design and Craftsmanship from the University of Lincoln. The course was very workshop based, which he loved. ‘But I felt a real gap in my knowledge surrounding design and sustainability,’ he says. Seb stayed on to study for a Master’s in design and the following year produced his thesis Traditional as Radical: ‘It was the beginning of everything for me – a manifesto.’
Inspired by the protagonists of the Arts and Crafts movement who, he says, combined beauty, objects and critical thought, the thesis was accompanied by a furniture collection called ‘Products of Silviculture’, featuring pieces made from coppiced hazel. Coppicing is an ancient woodland management technique that mimics natural processes to instigate rapid regrowth, while also promoting biodiversity of plants and wildlife. When the collection was exhibited during the 2010 London Design Festival, it was a hit. Seb sold so many pieces that he had to extend his Master’s course so that he could fulfil the orders.
What is striking is how Seb has maintained his focus since his studies. ‘Attitudes and approaches of past generations and cultures can be used as a model for thinking about a more environmentally sustainable future,’ he wrote in the thesis. He proposed that ‘objects should be more engaging with consumers to avoid premature disposal’. Then, as now, he wanted to champion ‘the traditional or ancient relationship with our planet, and the things on it’.
Back then, Seb used the word ‘sustainable’ more often than ‘regenerative’. And while he is not particularly interested in semantics, he acknowledges that the former has echoes of main-taining the status quo. ‘We have to be proactive in trying to improve the world with what we do,’ he says. ‘When you buy a product from our company, woodlands are left in a better condition than had they not been harvested.’ This is one of the central goals of regenerative design: to restore ecosystems. One way the company measures the results of these efforts is through subjecting its furniture to an environmental lifecycle assessment: a net carbon footprint is derived by subtracting the carbon dioxide sequestered in the wood used from the carbon emitted in the making process.
A few years ago, Seb and Brogan published a new manifesto. Modern Life from Wilder Land outlines the need to evaluate how we can ‘reshape our fields, woods, hills and coasts to meet our modern demands and the needs of our native wildlife’. It is a sign of how their interests go beyond the responsible production of tables and chairs. ‘In a sense, it doesn’t matter what we produce,’ Seb says. ‘Furniture is simply a by-product of our ambition to use the material. We are showing that you can create beautiful objects with materials that are fairly abundant and that wildlife can thrive as a result of it. And, at the same time, we are locking up carbon, reducing the “miles” that go into a product and having transparent systems of production and procurement.’
He once regretted not studying to be an architect, he says, explaining he thought it would be a better way of ‘scaling up’ his ideas, ‘But I came to realise that you can get the message out there better through domestic objects. There is no better place to have a conversation about big issues around globalisation and the way we use and waste materials than at a dining table.’
Brogan, who previously worked for the American Hardwood Export Council, has been involved in the business since 2013 and is now its creative director. ‘When I met Seb, it was a huge learning curve in terms of the environmental impact of the work and I was immediately interested,’ she recalls. The furniture itself, not so much, she admits, ‘I thought we could do a better job creating fun and engaging collections.’
Brogan introduced colour for the first time, a small but crucial new aspect to the Sebastian Cox aesthetic. ‘She has brought a more playful side to our work, which is so important,’ Seb says. ‘I think it’s healthy not to take myself so seriously and to learn that you can communicate a serious message without being too purist.’
In 2020, they moved from London to Margate with their two daughters. This was prompted by the usual factors facing young families: lower property prices, the chance to raise children in a smaller community, plus the appeal of being by the sea. It is only in the past few months, however, that they have been able to move the business to Margate too. They have signed a long lease on a former newspaper printing press not far from where Tracey Emin is based.
It is a magnificent space and one that they hope will play a positive role in the community as well. ‘We have an opportunity to help address some of the social issues of what is essentially a deprived seaside town,’ Brogan says. By partnering with local charities or through the business’s existing apprenticeship scheme, they are keen to engage with the town’s young people. ‘The youth unemployment rate here is one of the highest in the country,’ Seb says. ‘We’re excited about the idea of showing young people from a community that doesn’t have a heritage of this type of work that it exists, to capture their imagination.’
