Grain Pile is a minimalist furniture exhibition located in London, England, designed by Max Radford Gallery in collaboration with Ercol. This London Design Festival 2025 presentation at Clerkenwell Fire Station represents a significant convergence of contemporary design thinking with one of Britain’s most enduring furniture traditions. The collaboration between Max Radford Gallery and Ercol demonstrates how established manufacturing expertise can serve as a catalyst for innovative design exploration rather than simply preserving historical forms.

The curatorial framework behind Grain Pile reveals a sophisticated understanding of how archival research can inform contemporary practice. Rather than asking designers to replicate or update existing Ercol pieces, the project invites seven practitioners to engage with the company’s material legacy and manufacturing capabilities as creative resources. This approach reflects broader shifts in design education and practice, where historical engagement serves as springboard for innovation rather than constraint.

Ercol’s archives provide a rich foundation for this kind of creative archaeology. Founded in 1920 by Lucian Ercolani, the company developed distinctive approaches to steam-bending elm and beech that created furniture both structurally efficient and visually distinctive. The Windsor chair tradition that informed much of Ercol’s early work emphasized the relationship between wood grain direction and structural performance, principles that remain relevant to contemporary makers working with sustainable materials and production methods.

Expect to see stools by Andu Masebo, tables by Isabel Alonso, a rocking chair by Lewis Kemmenoe, chairs by Joe Armitage, a cabinet by Jaclyn Pappalardo and a table + benches by Eddie Olin. Each will be presenting new work produced in collaboration with Ercol and Max Radford Gallery specifically for the show.