Abel Sloane & Ruby Woodhouse

Our friends Abel Sloane and Ruby Woodhouse are the talented duo behind London-based practice 1 9 3 4. Starting out as dealers of twentieth century furniture, the pair have recently expanded into interior design - such as an aspirational full renovation of a Victorian apartment in Hackney - and research projects like their first publication, The Simple Heart of Plywood, a new book on the little known furniture of Gerald Summers - which we are proud to now stock in our store. We love these two for the warmth & ease they bring to everything they do and are happy to share their edit of five Everyday Needs pieces.

1.Japanese incense // Brilliant Peaks

There’s something quite ritualistic about burning incense in the home. It is something that both of our parents have always done since we were small. These ones in particular are favourites of ours – not too overpowering but creates a homely and clean atmosphere, ready for the day!

2. Hinoki bathroom stool

We’re always looking for practical stools like this for our projects. They can be moved around the house for several needs: bedside tables, reaching high shelves, dusting, for candles and whatnot. This one is humble, and well made.

3. Dustpan and brush set

An essential tool for absolutely every house. We’d have one in every room if they looked like this!

4. Belgian linen tea towels // Check

We’re big fans of anything check. We like our tea towels too! We use tea towels a lot in our own home. Cooking every night means washing up every night (especially without a dishwasher)… so tea towels are much needed in the kitchen!

5. The Simple Heart of Plywood: an introduction to Gerald Summers and Makers of Simple Furniture

This book started as research into a pair of chairs we bought 3 years ago at an antiques market. We were pushed hard to find much information about the designer, who we later found to be Gerald Summers (made by his workshop 'Makers of Simple Furniture'). A few notes turned into a few pages, and we made contacts with family members and collectors. This year we decided to publish our findings in book form, designed by Joe Gilmore. It’s our first publication and hopefully not the last.