Philip Watts Design is far more than just a handle manufacturer. With founder Philip Watts at the helm, this creative design studio has flourished globally, becoming world-renowned for a unique ability to distil the best of inspirational pieces into versatile and often project-specific hardware.

 

The partnership between Philip Watts Design and Spiggy is a special connection, with Spiggy’s founder, Colin Wright, going from a specifier of their products on UK designs, to distributor for Australia and South-East Asia. The timing for the partnership was perfect as Philip Watts Design’s hand-made, made-to-order, frequently individually commissioned pieces were becoming highly sought after for numerous design projects around the world.

 

In the APAC region, the TWIG, TREETRUNK and BRANCH handles have proved hugely popular and have even been featured in bespoke, specially commissioned sizes for commercial and hospitality projects both here and overseas, including ‘The Ledge’, Australian Dave Pynt’s restaurant in The Waldorf Astoria Maldives, designed by Studio HBA, and the MUMU restaurant in Port Moresby designed by Trinity Design of New Zealand.

 

In fact, it is the individually commissioned pieces that really highlight the artisanal production methods used by Philip Watts Design, whilst at the same time providing a level of client engagement that is impossible to find with mass produced products. For example, a Gold Coast-based client had a specific brief for the type of branches that she could imagine on her sliding doors. This brief was passed to the design team at Philip Watts Design who then put on their walking boots and sourced suitable fallen branches from the sustainable forests of Nottingham, UK – once approved, these branches were cast and hand finished in the purest form of bronze.

 

Similarly, Spiggy worked in collaboration with European- and New Zealand-based designers to create bespoke Philip Watts Design statement handles for the main entrance, and bespoke joinery handles, for New Zealand’s largest private residence. Sketched concepts by the designer were slowly brought to life, with various prototypes being approved before final fabrication. These handles are truly unique.

 

As every product is made to order, all Phillip Watts Designs standard pieces are inherently customisable. Take the CRUSHED handles in the Barwon River House project by Greg Natale as an example: each handle was rendered in bespoke sizes, to work with the grand proportions of the project.

 

Looking forward, Philip Watts has a growing collection of lever handles, all of which are truly unique. SUNBURST is a statement in its own right, with lines of light extending from the centrepiece of the handle. Its sister handle STARBURST is similarly sculptural, with 3-dimensional extensions from the tactile handle replicating the striking nature of stars in the night sky. DARMSTADT is a modern classic; a contemporary door knob with extended oblong silhouette adorned with Art Deco-esque engraved arches, which can be aligned vertically or horizontally.

 

For more information on Phillip Watts Design, contact sales@spiggy.com.au


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