DAVAL FURNITURE, award winning British designer and manufacturer of quality fitted furniture, is delighted to announce it has been commissioned by former England rugby captain, Dylan Hartley, to design and install a bespoke furniture scheme for his private suite at the world-famous Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
The Daval Special Projects division delivers a small number of non-residential projects every year and has previously been commissioned by brands like technical outdoor apparel maker, Thrudark, for its headquarters in Dorset, winner of BBC Two’s Interior Design Masters, Lynsey Ford, and TV personality and influencer, Lucy Mecklenburgh to name a few.
Dylan Hartley is a former rugby union player who represented England and Northampton Saints. He also captained the England rugby union team from January 2016 until the end of his international career in 2019, where he earned the title of the team’s most capped hooker of all time with his first cap in 2008.
James Bodsworth, creative director at Daval is working directly with Dylan on this unique design project, helping to create a tailormade, custom bar and entertaining area for the corporate suite, which will be used to host VIP guests on match days.
James says, “Twickenham is revered as the home of English rugby and as a brand steeped in our own British heritage, we couldn’t be more pleased to offer our support and design expertise. In fact, Dylan has given us free rein to design a space that is both modern yet classic and provides comfortable and luxurious surroundings for him to enjoy with his guests on match days. With this in mind, we are working on an exciting scheme centred around a made-to-measure bar using our Lugano Boston Oak cabinetry. This is complemented by a raised bench with integrated seating, which is designed to offer a direct view of the pitch. We have also partnered with Little Greene paint and Hendel & Hendel handles on this project, to ensure that our furniture is both stylish and durable.”
The Lugano furniture range by Daval is manufactured on-site at the company’s 100,000 sq ft factory in Slaithwaite, Huddersfield, and presents a sophisticated furniture range in solid oak that is rich in appearance with prominent woodgrain and fine, even texture. Naturally light in colour with deep golden tones, this new furniture range is precision engineered in the UK and made using responsibly sourced materials.
The finished project was installed in Dylan Hartley’s private suite in Twickenham by the end of October 2024. Dylan Hartley says, “I was keen to use a British brand that manufactures here in the UK, so Daval’s manufacturing heritage and excellent product combined with James’s creative and design expertise is the perfect match. I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished result.”
Simon Bodsworth, managing director at Daval says, “We are thrilled to be selected for such a prestigious venue by Dylan Hartley, someone I have admired in sport for many years. To be able to play our part in helping more people enjoy the very best in hospitality at such a great sporting institution is very exciting for the brand. Our Special Projects division is growing from strength to strength as more and more brands appreciate the importance of working with experts in furniture design and manufacture. Watch this space for more exciting new announcements as we continue to put Daval in front of new, global audiences.”
Image shows former rugby union player, Dylan Hartley, shaking hands with James Bodsworth, creative director at Daval Furniture at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
See page 3 of our February/March 2025 issue on our Back Issues page.
