The Welsh-based design company Silverlining has literally carved a niche for itself in the luxury design market. The 70-strong company is located in Wrexham, North Wales, and has worked its way to the upper echelons of contemporary cabinetmaking, building bespoke objects for homes and superyachts, boardrooms and museums.
The company was founded by Mark Boddington, who chose the designer’s life over that of the brewer. His family name might be better known for its bitters, for those in the know, a Silverlining-designed object is at the top of its game.
This luxury one-off table tennis table is a good example of the company’s craft. Designed in collaboration with the interior designer Katharine Pooley, the table was created for a client with a ‘luxury games room’ and blends rare and hard-wearing materials with a meticulous finish.
The most notable component is the net, fashioned from bespoke perforated dark green leather. There’ll be no problems with a sagging middle, nor with wayward bounces on the pristine playing surface that’s formed from diamond-match fumed and figured eucalyptus veneer.
This dark wood is used throughout the table, juxtaposed with satin-brushed brass detailing on the edges and marking the divisions of play on the tabletop.
On either side of the table is a concealed drawer for storage of bats and balls, with leather and brass and indented dark green leather to match the ‘net’. Pooley is an esteemed interior designer whose work ranges from one-off pieces to entire turn-key ‘home dressing,’ where every single object from cutlery to candlesticks can be designed, supplied, and set up.
Every product that comes out of the Silverlining workshop is unique, and this table is no different. The lines are decidedly more modern than some of its other designs, which often make full use of the in-house carving and marquetry skills.
Other recent projects include a ‘World Timepiece Box’ made of Macassar, Santos Rosewood and 24-carat gold, designed purely to display and wind a race Patek Philippe wristwatch. Prices are, quite understandably, only available on request.
