Old Furniture, a poem by Dorset born Thomas Hardy, is an ode to beauty of furniture being handed down the generations, and David Irwin's Hardy Barstool is a classic in the making.

Two chair typologies from the 19th century, Thomas Hardy's birth century, inspired its design: firstly the Captain's chair originally a low-backed wooden armchair and secondly, the Smokers bow, a low back Windsor, often used in smoking rooms, public houses, barbers shops and cottages.