Jay Blades

talks to us about one of his design heroes

Jay is a furniture designer, restorer and presenter on the BBC’s Money for Nothing and The Repair Shop. He has a background in youth work, and remains dedicated to helping disadvantaged young people find promising futures.

‘The interior designer I like best is Pippa Jameson. She creates a backdrop that is simple, classic and elegant – just really, really cool.’

Recently, I had the chance to work on some pieces by one of my ultimate design heroes, Ernest Race. I am really excited about this, as his stu! is so rare today. I’m reimagining some of his designs for the Ernest Race Heritage Collection – the pieces will be sold at auction and some of the proceeds will help me start the Jay & Co Academy (I plan to work with furniture manufacturers to get underprivileged young people into apprenticeships). But this collection is also about raising Ernest Race’s pro"le, too.

He is probably the designer I admire the most. In my eyes Race was the original upcycler. He was on the scene a#er the Second World War, and he was so resourceful and imaginative. There weren’t many materials around a#er the war so he had to get creative. He used things like decommissioned aeroplanes and even surplus ammunition, melting them down and repurposing the components to create truly iconic furniture.

He might not be the most famous name, but all of the top designers know about him and respect his ethos. He made chairs, rockers, benches, tables and bookcases – you name it. And every single one is just, wow! He is known for producing chairs for the 1951 Festival of Britain – a celebration to li# British spirits a#er the war. He was in the same league as names like Robin and Lucienne Day, Peter Moro and Abram Games.

His furniture is minimal and honest. You know exactly what each piece is and what it is made from – you can see the history in each of Race’s designs. His forms are simple but classic – they’re timeless. As I write, I’m looking at one of the Antelope chairs that I’ve reimagined – what I’ve been able to create with his original frame is incredible.

You can see the history in each of Race’s designs. His forms are simple but classic – they’re timeless.