COMMISSIONED to design a bespoke trolley for the new Sheep Field Barn gallery and education space at Henry Moore Studios, Plaey workshop founder, Matt Kelly, turned to James Latham for the materials. The finished piece, ‘Explore with Moore’, is built around 3-ply Douglas Fir supplied by Latham’s. It sits among the artist’s former home and studios in in Hertfordshire.
Shaping a sculptural brief
The trolley, or ‘art cart’, is a functional sculpture commissioned by Annie Shrosbree of Henry Moore Studios. It reflects her own original design vision and is inspired by the artist’s famous organic forms. It holds drawers of varied workshop resources for visitors of all ages, with a cabinet of curiosity on top for the placement of natural objects gathered from the surrounding landscape of gardens and farmland.
Finding the right material
Plaey’s Matt Kelly specified three-ply Douglas Fir to complement the Sheep Field Barn interiors designed by DSDHA Architecture. Good Douglas Fir can be hard to track down, so Matt asked Latham’s to source and supply the perfect specimen. The material Latham’s supplied offered the chunky sculptural quality, clean end-grain detail and gentle curve-forming ability Plaey needed, with the durability to stand up to daily handling. Brown Valchromat was used for the drawer fronts, chosen for its durability and sympathetic tone.
“Working with James Latham, you just feel so confident in the materials they have available and the expertise on tap,” says Matt Kelly, founder of Plaey. “So much time and love go into making this stuff, and if you’re not using the right product, it defeats the object.”
Standing the test of time
Plaey’s previous art carts have lasted eight or nine years in busy environments at prestigious galleries, and the Henry Moore commission was built to the same standard. With a three-month turnaround from brief to opening, a reliable supply chain was essential to ensuring the ‘art cart’ trolley was installed on time.
“We decided to collaborate with Plaey on this trolley to give our visitors a space for learning, a space to be creative, sculpt and step into the shoes of Henry Moore. We created a section on top of the trolley that acts like a cabinet of curiosities. Matt has beautifully responded to the space that we have just reopened. He matched the wood perfectly to the Douglas Fir that we have used. It’s been great working with Matt at Plaey. He completely understood my vision from the get-go,” said Annie Shrosbree, learning and engagement manager, Henry Moore Studios.
See page 26-27 of our August/September 2026 issue on our Back Issues page.
