It was about time we had a lightbulb moment. We know that anyone who’s passionate about their home understands the transformative ability of the right lighting. So after being inundated with requests to launch our own lighting range, we set out on a mission to track down the mood of the moment. We knew pendant […]
A flourish seen on traditional furniture from across Europe – particularly British, French and Swedish – lines of brass studding lend a design an antique air. From the Astor ottomans to the Rouen stools, this longstanding technique is one of our favourite finishing touches.
The most defining feature of our Sahara chest of drawers is the screen-printed patterns. One of the earliest methods of printing, dating back over two thousand years, it brings an ethnic, folkish feel to this otherwise mid-century shaped design.
The artisan weavers chat quietly to each other as they sit in pairs. They work in tandem, the Golden Chevron pattern of our Lombard rug creeping steadily up the loom. A craft and a complicated science, people have been weaving for thousands of years. Ambrish Bharti, one of our leading loom artisans, tries to explain […]
“Guernsey, flora, fauna, beaches and sea give me a huge amount of inspiration, but I also have a bit of a bug for travelling,” says born and bred Guernsey girl, Nadia Newton.“Before we started our family, my husband and I spent a year travelling around the world and went to some amazing places that are […]
“Seeing Iris Apfel wearing one of my designs at New York Fashion Week was my biggest break”, says Hannah Hope-Johnson, textile designer behind our latest Designer Edition.
“I take inspiration from all kinds of gardens and create my own, imaginary one, to bring a natural atmosphere to interiors” says Claire De Quénetain, our latest Designer Edition’s creator.
Copper is still one of the most lusted-after metallics around. From side and console tables to drawer fronts and stools, introducing copper cladding to a design can be transformative. Go behind the scenes at the workshop where we craft the Hector stool and see how it’s done.
A craft that’s been honoured for thousands and thousands of years, sand casting is our choice of method for creating the brass plate-and-ring handles used on a number of our French and modern country-style pieces. It all takes place in our workshop dedicated purely to sand casting in Jaipur’s Old Town. Step inside.
Renowned for their fine detail, meticulous patternwork and beautiful colour palettes, Liberty Art Fabrics is recognised worldwide as a pioneering force in print design and textile innovation. A branch of the original Liberty emporium on London’s Regent Street, Arthur Liberty began working with local artisans alongside the exotic goods he was importing from the Far East […]
Beautifully contoured legs have been commonplace in furniture design for thousands of years. You see it particularly with rustic, country designs like our Astor ottomans. Go behind the scenes of our wood workshop and watch the craft transform the mango wood base.
Tufting. Square, diamond, or buttoned, it’s an upholstery finishing technique that can transform a piece entirely. Our Astor ottomans are all diamond-tufted. Follow the hands that create its luxurious, pocketed effect.
“There’s no such thing as a typical day’s work for me. One day I might be at a show, the next in my studio, I may spend a morning drawing and an afternoon doing admin or speaking to production houses from all over the world. If I could I’d be creating new prints from dawn til dusk, […]
The petite Aimee is one of our all-time favourite French-style bedside tables. Made from mango wood, it’s available in various finishes including a lime-washed effect and a rustic sandblasted technique.
The piece with which our in-house designer, Harry, made his debut – it sold out within two days of its release. Mid-century in style, it was those beautifully louvered drawer panels that got us. Available in two finishes, we followed the making journey of the richly-coloured rosewood version.
For those of you who missed our Summer Pop-up, here’s a sneak peak at perhaps our most hotly-anticipated collection of Designer Editions. Together with TFL and textile designer, Michelle Mason, we’ll be launching five our our bestselling mid-century designs in colourful, geometric prints inspired by London’s ghost tube stations. Launching on the 28th September in strictly limited […]
Akbar hand-carves every one of our Rouen stools. He describes carving as a ‘divine art’. Literally, a blessed skill. He’s been doing it for over six years and it takes him two-three hours to carve a single stool.
Petite and perfectly formed, the Rouen was one of our earliest French-style pieces and remains one of our most-coveted designs to this day.
A design with a real story to tell, our Sahara collection is made by our artisans in Jodhpur, India. Go behind the scenes to discover how we make the chest of drawers design – a statement piece for bedrooms, dining rooms and even living rooms alike.
One of our most-coveted industrial designs, each and every Orson stool is entirely hand-made. Available as a bar and kitchen stool and in various finishes, discover its journey from raw planks of mango wood and ribbons of steel to a catwalk-worthy statement piece.
Long rectangular planks of pine arrive wrapped in plastic all the way from New Zealand. Like gifts waiting to be opened. Artisans cut them down to smaller, more manageable pieces, piling them up in Jenga-like towers in the middle of the floor, ready for crafting the Mimi three-seater sofa.
In the designer’s studio, the walls are covered in mood boards, photos, magazine cutouts, hand-drawn doodles of sofas and chairs, and elaborate floral patterns. When it comes to designing a sofa like our Mimi or any of the beautiful pieces that come from the workshop, Bertil, one of the designers looks all over for inspiration […]
Sitting on what looks to be an old wooden school desk in the corner of the sewing section of the workshop, is an ancient-looking button press. No one knows exactly how old it is; it’s been there for as long as anyone can remember. Vuong turns a wheel that’s bound with ragged material for grip, […]
In the workshop, artisans work to the beat, punch, and hum of a motley collection of tools. A chorus of noise that, Du tells us, he doesn’t even notice anymore. The components of the Felix armchair having already been traced and cut to shape, he takes the pine pieces and assembles the frame with lightening […]
“Over the last ten years there’s been a renaissance in the feeling for African textiles. The colours are vibrant and edgy, because we combine colours that most people wouldn’t put together. Aesthetically, they’re just wonderful. The world has become so much more diverse, and in turn, so have people’s style. People want to make room […]
Stepping under the shade of a veranda, we can hear the swishing of water against the walls of the tank in the washing section of the workshop. In China, the wood found in old, irreparable buildings and houses that are set to be demolished is rescued and reused by the artisan furniture industry. Before it […]
Moving her arm back and forth, the back end of a hammer wrapped around an old nail, Fu Jiao yanks the metal out of the wood plank. Sourced from irreparable homes anywhere between 40 and 100 years old, the reclaimed pine used in the making of the Marylebone desk must be washed, dried, and any […]
“I think what I’m most known for is colour. I adore it. Once I pick a palette the colours just fall into place. I’m meant to be quite impartial as a designer, but my heart has a mind of its own; I can’t help but be drawn in by blues and teals – coastal colours.”
We recognise the entrance to the carving section of the workshop before it’s pointed out to us. Stacks of legs for our Juliette bench sit piled up on either side of the door, giving it away better than any sign could. They arrive turned, ready for our artisans to artfully carve out the details that give […]
It’s quiet in the finishing section of the workshop where our artisan runs a thick paintbrush over the oak frame of a Gustavian-style Juliette bench, covering it in a pristine white. It’s the first step in a finishing process that results in one of the defining characteristics of this late 18th century Swedish design movement […]
You can tell the carving of the Juliette bench is special because it takes place in a particular room, away from the noise of the workshop and filled with lots of natural light. Oak pieces, cut and turned, are brought to our carver who takes a chisel in one hand and wooden block in the […]
A tropical garden grows at the front of the workshop with big trees and awnings to provide shade from the extraordinary Vietnamese heat. Inside, planks of oak sit on a carpet of sawdust, waiting to be made into legs for our Mimi sofas, armchairs, ottomans and pouffes. “The best quality wood is marked red,” our […]
