Grant Wilkinson, Teresa Rivera and SCP founder Sheridan Coakley.

Wilkinson & Rivera for SCP

Behind the Seams

With the launch of the SCP 2023 Upholstery Collection just over a week away, we take a look behind the scenes at the development of one of the new sofas, Peonia, by design duo Wilkinson & Rivera.

SCP began working with London-based design duo Grant Wilkinson and Teresa Rivera for the first time in 2022, when they created the Baile collection. Composed of an unconventional chair and table design inspired by barley twists, Baile was very much in Wilkinson & Rivera’s territory, which is high-quality hand-made woodworking.

Wilkinson & Rivera

Baile & Of Nature Collections

We sensed that their rigorous, thoughtful and hand-on approach would apply well to upholstery design, so we invited them to create a new design for the SCP 2023 Upholstery Collection.

Peonia by Wilkinson & Rivera, SCP 2023 Upholstery Collection

Creating six new upholstery designs is a complicated process for our product development team, with plenty of back and forth with the designers and regular trips up to our specialist factory in Norfolk.

We took along some cameras on one such visit by Wilkinson & Rivera, when they came up to check on the progress of Peonia with SCP founder Sheridan Coakley.

We also asked about their thinking behind the design.

The team tests cushion density.
Teresa Rivera tests Peonia for comfort.
Detail of unfinished prototype, which shows the solid wooden frame and seat-webbing.
Teresa Rivera testing the sofa skirt.
Teresa Rivera plumping cushions with our Head Seamstress, Donna.

What is the name of your design?

Peonia

Please describe the design in simple terms.

It’s delicate, refined, comfortable and uplifting,

What was the inspiration or thinking behind the design?

We wanted to create an aesthetically versatile sofa – it can exist in a diverse range of settings. We wanted it to feel fresh and sculptural. It’s economical in size, with purposeful seat depth to accommodate a family’s worth of use.

Teresa and Grant discuss their ideas.
Teresa considers fabric options for the launch piece.

"We wanted to create an aesthetically versatile sofa - it can exist in a diverse range of settings. We wanted it to feel fresh and sculptural. It's economical in size, with purposeful seat depth to accommodate a family's worth of use."

Teresa Rivera

Please describe your working process on this product.

We always start with sketches. Once the general aesthetic was set, we made a 3D render to better understand plausibility. We find tech a bit limiting, so we would hand sketch on top of our renders to perfect the form. The most eye-opening process was when we began physically prototyping. Figuring out seat angles with life-sized jigs, reviewing mock-ups of fabric stitching; these are the details which we found to ‘make’ the design.

Where do you picture Peonia being used?

Our goal was versatility. We see this sofa placed anywhere, from private residences to boutique hotels.

Peonia is considered from all angles.

"The most eye-opening process was when we began physically prototyping. Figuring out seat angles with life-sized jigs, reviewing mock-ups of fabric stitching; these are the details which we found to ‘make’ the design."

Grant Wilkinson

A big thank you to Wilkinson & Rivera for answering our questions and allowing us to follow them round for a morning.

The final version of Peonia launches during our Soft Power exhibition during the London Design Festival, starting on the 16th of September.

Come by and see it for yourself, it’s a beautiful piece.

Further reading