Ed Cruikshank’s name is synonymous with fine furniture and innovative design.

The Queenstown designer’s first creations were crafted in wood while studying at one of England’s leading cabinet making schools before he broadened his skills and knowledge with a degree in furniture design and put his training into ten years of practice alongside renowned designer David Linley.

“I have designed all manner of things over the 20 years I’ve been here in Queenstown,” he says. “My stainless steel and saddle leather Infernorator poker and blower, a collection of timeless tables and chairs and literally thousands of unique pieces including custom dining tables, bespoke drinks cabinets, sofas, fitted bookcases and even an entire house.”

In recent years Ed has added intriguingly beautiful artworks to his repertoire that will shortly be represented by one of New Zealand’s most respected galleries. 

“I love creating beautifully crafted unique objects that are meaningful to their owners. I enjoy the design and craft that goes into them yet there has always been something deeper at play that I could never quite put my finger on until I took a deep dive to explore why I do what I do. I discovered that beneath the challenge and enjoyment of the creative and practical processes there has always been a common denominator that underpins everything from the smallest single piece to the largest and most complex. I realised I have always been creating space for conversations that matter, the ones that go to the heart of what we really care about and that give us that magical feeling of deep connection with each other and in turn with ourselves.”

He believes while comfort, practicality and endurance make things last a long time meaning makes them last forever.

“The first examples of embedded meaning in my work date back to 2010. The words were often inspired by great writers and poets, some were expansive covering an entire piece of furniture. Others were shorter and sweet perhaps single words tucked away. In 2022 I was inspired to begin expressing my own words on pieces designed to hang on walls rather than to stand on terra firma.”         

Ed encodes his messages in Braille and Morse code.

“It creates intrigue and invites curiosity short circuiting our very human way of jumping to conclusions or making snap decisions without looking deeper. The curiosity often leads to unexpected conversations and connections.  My ongoing mission is to inspire as many of these conversations as I can through my work – whether that’s a fireside chat, a family dinner discussion or a debate about an artwork they all help us connect and understand each other a little more and ultimately can make our world a more unified and peaceful one.”