Kay+Stemmer (furniture)

A unisex cosmetics cabinet designed for men as well as women, plus a garden table and bench are the two unusual items by the all-female partnership Kay+Stemmer.

Their “Tallgirl” cabinet is the perfect modern take on the old-fashioned dressing table. Its small footprint is ideal for tight spaces. What’s more, it’s a must-have accessory for the metrosexual male as well as the modern woman.

“It’s designed to give even the smallest room a special space where you can stand in peace and do your make-up or comb your hair without your partner hammering on the bathroom door,” says Andrea Stemmer.

“We had lots of requests to design a dressing table and we thought hard about what people really want. They don’t often have room for the old set-up, and there’s the fact that nowadays men use beauty products too. The result was the Tallgirl.”

The other pieces being shown are a garden table and bench using wooden slats to create patterns like moving waves. “So much garden furniture is heavy and dark. We want to create something graceful and light,” said Andrea.

Kay+Stemmer was formed in 2000 by Sarah Kay and Andrea Stemmer. Both Sarah and Andrea trained at Parnham College with John Makepeace. Their furniture is renowned for its simple elegance, functionality and attention to detail.

Projects so far have included the design and manufacture of bespoke ranges of furniture for a luxury 30 bedroom hotel (Cowley Manor in Gloucestershire), a reception area for Wimbledon School of Art and numerous one-off furniture commissions for private residences.

In 2006 they were commissioned by Heal’s to design a range of furniture. Titled “Flow” the range has received much acclaim and has led to other projects for the retail market including SCP and Benchmark. Andrea Stemmer lives in Brixham, Devon, and Sarah Kay in London.