Paul Kelley's furniture design is inspired by the works of artists such as Donald Judd, combining a rigorous application of the linear form with a quality of hand craftsmanship seldom now seen. As he has said of his practice, "We have to do so much more to help people understand why they should demand quality. Consumers should scream and shout for it and we as designers and makers deliver it for them - quality stands the test of time".
Initially trained as a guitar maker at the London College of Furniture, Kelley began his career in the music industry before returning to interiors and furniture design in the early 1990s. Making every piece entirely by hand, Kelley and his team of craftsmen work out of a studio in Kent, creating editions in wood, acrylic, leather, gold and copper, as well as a vast array of laminates. His distinctive material combinations, thoughtful composition and detailed finishes brought his existing practice to the attention of Gallery Libby Sellers. For his first piece with the gallery, Kelley was set a brief to design and produce a games table. Taking inspiration from a Jean Dunand black lacquered games table from 1929, originally produced for Madame Vionnet, Kelley responded with a supremely elegant yet robust leaf table that unfolds to reveal a hidden chessboard within.
Kelley has won a Wallpaper* Design Award, been shortlisted for an Arts Foundation Fellowship and has designed for Paul Smith, in London and Los Angeles.