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DECORATING | PROFILE

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT
Jake Solomon hand-
sculpting a wax master
pattern for a mould. Jake
in his Welwyn Garden City
workshop. A cast bronze
door handle for the
Alexander McQueen
stores. Decorative wall
panelling in a design used
in over 50 McQueen stores

SPE CIALIS T

Solomon & Wu

JENNIFER GOULDING meets Jake Solomon,
whose company creates innovative architectural
mouldings that have striking sculptural details

PHOTOGRAPHS BEN QUINTON

ho is Wu?’ is a question Jake Solomon,
owner and director of Solomon & Wu, is
often asked. ‘Ah, you fell into my little
trap,’ he says, Bond-villain style. ‘There is
no Wu. I just liked the sound of it. I think
it has a ring of intrigue.’ It certainly cap-
tures the spirit of audacity and irreverence of the company,
which reinvents architectural mouldings for the modern age. ‘I
wanted to do something original, or at least different,’ says Jake.
His initial range of striking skirting boards, ceiling roses,
architraves and cornices, which was launched in 2010, exchanges
traditional motifs for shapes and lines inspired by the work of
architects such as Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry. It now forms
only one part of the business, with much of the company’s time
spent developing bespoke products for interior designers and
architects, from door handles, mirrors and lighting to furniture

HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK NOVEMBER 2015 85