John Astbury

John Astbury studied anthropology and sociology in his native England before moving to Sweden to study product design at Konstfack, the country's largest university for arts, crafts and design. Boat building kindled his love of craftsmanship, and playing music ignited his passion for evoking emotions through design. The notable designer pursues these passions further at his eponymous design studio in Stockholm where his process involves re-examining the fundamental elements of an archetype to explore what can be done differently and to bring purpose to the form, driving design in a new direction.

His Column shelving series for &Tradition reinterprets architectural accents such as pillars, corbels and dentils seen in Classical, Gothic and Georgian styles. Focusing on supportive structures, the simplified designs are purposeful yet poetic. Beautifying utilitarian objects and playing with proportions, surface textures and materials, Column is a platform on which to display the objects that matter most.