Solomon & Wu
Jennifer Goulding meets Jake Solomon, whose company creates innovative architectural mouldings that have striking sculptural details
'Who is Wu?' is a question Jake Solomon, owner and director of Solomon & Wu, is often asked. 'Ah, you fell into my little trap,' he says, Bond-villain style. 'There is no Wu. I just liked the sound of it. I think it has a ring of intrigue.' It certainly captures the spirit of audacity and irreverence of the company, which reinvents architectural mouldings for the modern age. 'I wanted to do something original, or at least different,' says Jake.
His initial range of striking skirting boards, ceiling roses, architraves and cornices, which was launched in 2010, exchanges traditional motifs for shapes and lines inspired by the work of architects such as Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry. It now forms only one part of the business, with much of the company's time spent developing bespoke products for interior designers and architects, from door handles, mirrors and lighting to furniture and wall panels in materials that include plaster, resin, fibreglass and metal. 'It is hard to appreciate the potential of what we do. Basically, we can mould anything in any material.'
The company's impressive portfolio shows at least some of what can be achieved. This ranges from a faceted resin soundproof listening booth, which was commissioned by the architecture firm Gensler for the Harman audio shop in New York, to an intricate plaster wall frieze created for a house in London, featuring twisting branches and leaves, leaping horses and even the owner's corgi.
One of Jake's favourite commissions was from the interior designer Russell Sage, who wanted a non-repeating metal wall featuring the shapes of medical curiosities for The Hospital Club, a members club in Covent Garden. 'We gathered bottles, stethoscopes, anatomical models, saws, apothecary drawers and so on, and used them to create rubber moulds. We then created more rubber moulds to sit inside the base moulds, as Russell wanted some pieces in relief and others to stand out, so there was a back and forth of textures,' explains Jake. 'We worked closely with Russell and his team throughout. All our projects are collaborations.'
Surprisingly, Jake's background is in sport rather than art. He studied philosophy at the University of London, where he also played and coached basketball. This developed into
a career as a coach and talent scout, which took him to the US. 'One day I thought: "What am I doing? I am wasting my life."' So he moved to his parents' house in France and started making furniture. It was a radical change of lifestyle, but for Jake, who had always sculpted in his free time, it felt like a logical one.
During this period he visited the Louvre, where he became fascinated by the cornices and architraves. 'They are so elaborate and beautiful. They bring an amazing sense of grandeur to the rooms. I wondered why modern buildings were not given these architectural details.' Six months later, he had taught himself to make plaster castings, and designed his range of modern, architectural mouldings. They were launched during London __design Festival in 2010 at a gallery in King's Cross and at Decorex, where they were spotted by Simon Rawlings, creative director of David Collins Studio.
Some months and a number of residential commissions later, Jake received a call from Simon asking ifhe could help with something urgent. 'I didn't know this then, but he had tried everyone else already,' says Jake. The project was a sample panel for the flagship Alexander McQueen menswear shop on Savile Row.
It was the start of an extremely fruitful relationship. For that shop alone, Solomon & Wu created a further 15 products, including door handles, coat hooks and cornices, and went on to fit out a further 80 stores worldwide. The company also worked with David Collins Studio to design the shoe department of Harrods, the largest refit in the department store's history. 'In many ways, the collaboration with David Collins Studio has driven the business,' says Jake. 'It enabled us to set up our current workshop in Welwyn Garden City, which employs 15 craftspeople.
'I must say that at the start at every new project I have no idea how we are going to do it. But it just shows nothing is that difficult if you try hard enough.'
Solomon & Wu: 01707-707423; solomonandwu.com
Taken from the November 2015 issue of House & Garden.
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