A NATURE-INSPIRED furniture maker has won the support of the Arts Council for Wales for his latest project.

St Davids-based Grant Sonnex’s work hit the small screen recently with his 14-seater leaf dining table being used as the villain’s desk in the final episode of BBC’s Sherlock.

A year after moving to St Davids to devote himself to designing and making furniture inspired by the Pembrokeshire landscape, Grant is to start work on a unique collection of cabinets to go on public exhibition at the Waterfront Gallery, Milford Haven early next year.

“Most of my work has been one-off pieces for private homes like that extraordinary mansion in Sherlock, but I wanted to show more people what a wonderful art form handmade furniture can be by making a collection of pieces for exhibition where everyone can enjoy them,” said Grant.

What emerged was a proposal for a collection of wall-mounted landscape cabinets. The design of the doors will be developed from Grant’s drawings of the spectacular coastal scenery with different layers of wood echoing the shapes of the land, sea and skies.

These unusual pieces will hang like landscape paintings but the doors open to reveal beautifully-made cabinet interiors.

The idea appealed both to David Randell, director of the Waterfront Gallery, and to the Arts Council of Wales.

Grant is now starting work on developing a prototype before starting work on

the whole collection in the summer.

“Not only has Wales given me the inspiration for my work. Now it’s giving me the encouragement and support to show that work publicly,” he said. “I feel very fortunate.”

You can follow the progress of the landscape cabinets on Grant’s blog at www.furniturenature.com.