Furniture design changes a lot like fashion and has reached the point where it is now almost a form of art. For brothers Brett and Shane Armstrong of Kent, making furniture from aircraft pieces is how they earn their livelihood. The brothers travel the globe and collect aviation scrap, turning it into chairs, desks, tables and clocks among other items of furniture.
Their company, Hangar 54, makes high-end furniture that is both unique and stylish. For example, their designs include a £7,000 chair created from a Martin Baker M10 ejector seat and a £25,000 sofa made from the fuel tank of a Corsair jet. Other items include a Boeing 737 engine cowling transformed into an office desk with a 15 ft diameter that can also be bought with an elevator from a Douglas DC-3 airliner. A time-zone wall clock made from the fuselage of a Boeing 747 and its windows costs £1,200 per window and the option to add any timezone to it.
The inspiration for Hangar 54 came to Brett when he saw a table made from an old engine cowling and realized he could do a better job. In a way, they’re turning otherwise wasted scrap into beautiful works of functional art. The history behind the pieces of scrap is very rich and versatile, with parts from fighter jets to airliners. The brothers plan on showcasing their work at the Paris Air Show this summer.
