The Best British Furniture Designers
By Amy Wakeham
5 months ago
Look no further for the very best of British interiors craftsmanship
Do the words British furniture conjure images of smoke-stained chesterfield sofas, mahogany dressers or antique wood-wormed wardrobes? It’s time to think again. The British furniture industry is experiencing a renaissance, combining an unparalleled history of craftsmanship, quality materials and eccentricity, with a more modern pulse. These are the best British furniture designers you need to know about, each with their own unique history, style and production manifesto.
The Best British Furniture Designers
Sebastian CoxÂ
There are ‘sustainable’ furniture makers, then there’s Sebastian Cox. His designs are beautiful as they are conscious of climate change, with every carbon kg, wood type, and shipping cost, taken into consideration. Think slow living style furniture that will pass down the generations, but done with earthy sophistication.
Husband and wife duo, Sebastian and Brogan Cox run the busy studio and workshop and mill that’s busy with designers, makers, and craftspeople.
St James Interiors
‘It’s all about making furniture beautiful but also practical,’ says St James Interiors’ founder Pritesh Lad. The Great British Brand is based on expert joinery, with every piece designed in London and handmade in the UK. Its award-winning Dhan desk was inspired by a spaceship from Star Wars.
Swyft
Country & Town House Interiors Editor, Carole Annett says: ‘Choosing a sofa is one of the most important decisions for the home, an investment that, if you get it right, gives comfort and joy, or niggly irritation that you haven’t quite nailed it. A modular sofa is ideal for its stylish flexibility. Whether to fill a large area, as a room divider, or a dinky two-seater for hallway or bedroom, modular is modern and practical. Swyft’s 03 collection fits the bill with designs from two seats up to ten, left or right corner pieces and an ottoman for those who like to stretch out.
It arrives in boxes so no worries about getting it through a door, round a corner or up a tight stairway and their delivery is so quick – usually 24 hours – you’d think Lewis Hamilton was moonlighting. A free swatch box of fabric choices (durable and stain-resistant) despatched ahead of ordering means you can feel the different textures and decide on colour. It includes three neutral linens along with brick, teal and a vine-green velvet, which nail the current trend for soft texture and jewel tones. Swyft offers a 100 day trial to ensure if the sofa hasn’t become part of the family, they’ll send Lewis back to collect. From £2,155 for Model 03 two-seater and chaise, swyfthome.com
GP & J Baker
With almost 150 years of history behind them, there’s a good reason why GP & Baker is the interiors lovers’ go-to fabric company. The company started in 1884 when brothers George Percival and James Baker started importing Persian, Turkish and Turkoman carpets to Britain, before re-exporting them to Paris and the US. Gradually, the brothers started producing beautiful prints and weaves of their own, as well as building up one of the largest and most diverse privately owned textile archives in the world. To this day, many of GP & J Baker’s exquisite prints are still sourced from its original archives; they’ve recently been readapted to create beautiful embroideries, woven fabrics and wallpapers. What’s more, GP & J Baker has one of the few British furniture designers that have retained a Royal Warrant from HM The Queen for more than 37 years. If it’s good enough for Her Majesty…
The Dining Chair Company
Interior designer Amanda Huber bought The Dining Chair Company back in 2017, having sourced furniture from there for years for her clients. ‘I thought it was a gem of a company with a potentially great brand presence,’ she says. Under her watch the company refurbished its Pimlico Road showroom, and expanded the collection to include more contemporary pieces and to re-introduce some popular favourites. Every chair handcrafted using traditional techniques, and is designed to last for decades: ‘There’s nothing nicer than when clients ring us and say they have had our chairs for 20 years and still love them but would like them re-covered to fit in with a new interior,’ says Amanda.
Linley
Founded by David Snowdon, formerly David Linley in 1985, Linley creates bespoke furniture, as well as interiors, collectable pieces and luxury gifts and accessories, all showcasing the finest British design and craftsmanship. Almost everything is designed and made in the UK, relying on a network of 260 master craftsmen who all share David’s love of handcrafted design and attention to detail. Matthew Hilton, one of the most renowned British furniture designers, collaborated with Linley on the new Savile Furniture Collection – a departure from the private commission tradition, creating a range that could be ‘tailored’ rather than bespoke. Each piece has been created to it can be configured to meet many spaces, from an office studio to an open-plan penthouse.
Lorfords
Toby Lorford opened the first Lorfords antique shop in Tetbury in 2003. Since then, it has expanded with a further two antiques hangars, and launched a collection of bespoke furniture, all traditionally constructed and upholstered in its Cotswold studio. Most recently, Lorfords Contemporary collaborated with interior design studio, Turner Pocock, on a range of sofas, armchairs, ottomans and the Fireside chair. Launching in early 2021, the collection is upholstered in a range of stunning fabrics and patterns, and will be on view at Lorfords, Tetbury and at Tim Page, Chelsea Design Centre for the month of March.
Nina Campbell
Predominantly an interior designer, Nina Campbell’s furniture constitutes all that was missing when sourcing furniture for client projects. As the interior designer herself, she comments: ‘I would like to think that I approach it from a practical point of view as well as an aesthetics view as I like to know how I can use every piece that we make’. Though a veteran of luxury British interiors, Nina Campbell seeks to evolve with clients, adopting new looks and modern twists on traditional classics, such as contemporary Ralph chair in Duccio Indigo – a warming colour and fabric, harking back to opulent Britannia while assuming a shape far more in line with the modern living space. Read the story behind this Great British Brand here.
Ochre
Ochre designs furniture, lighting and accessories for the interior, placing great importance on harmonious proportions, luxury materials and matchless craftsmanship. Ochre was founded in 1996 by Joanna Bibby and Harriet Maxwell Macdonald, sharing an aesthetic for the beauty of the understated. Solenne de la Fouchariere became the third partner and fellow designer four years later. Along with selling directly to individuals, Ochre’s clients are leading international interior designers and architects. Their furniture sticks to a clear brief, across the board: ‘discreet glamour’.
Tetrad
‘Marrying elegance with practicality for furniture that is built to last.’ Founded in 1968 in Preston, Lancashire, Tetrad is one of the UK’s finest upholstery businesses. It built its reputation on producing fine quality sofas, chairs and stools with hardwood frames built to last, offering a variety of suspension options and high-quality fabrics and hides. Tetrad uses Harris Tweed in a wide range of furniture, typifying that British heritage and tradition. This heritage style has been combined with a more modern thrust within their recent furniture collections, appealing to a more dynamic audience still prioritising this quality craftsmanship and decades of experience.
Tom Raffield
Inspired by nature, made by hand and shaped by steam, Tom Raffield in Cornwall incorporates innovative steam bending techniques and sustainable design practices to create contemporary wooden furniture and lighting. With an experimental workshop set among six acres of ancient Cornish woodland, Tom Raffield designs are synonymous with nature, created as sculptural pieces of art inspired by the natural environment around them.
Catchpole & Rye
Catchpole & Rye may hail from a small English village – Pluckey in Kent – but this fine bathroom company has tapped into a niche market, to become a major player in the industry worldwide and one of the best British furniture designers. The desire to preserve the beauty of exquisite antiques inspired the firm to make original copies by staying true to the traditional methods used throughout history. The baths are poured using the same techniques that have been employed for the past 100 years. Moreover, it takes a highly skilled polisher a whole week to hand-polish one of the cast-iron baths to achieve its signature glimmering sheen. Equipped to assist with a complete bathroom overhaul, Catchpole & Rye’s full offering includes beautiful copper baths, cast-iron French roll-top baths, elegant console basins, polished cast metal cisterns and a variety of bathroom taps and showers. Read the story behind this Great British Brand here.
Max Rollitt
Max Rollitt cut his teeth working as an apprentice to Frearson and Hewlett, an antique furniture restoration workshop supporting the top London trade. His extensive experience in the field has developed an inherent sensitivity towards the materials and classical architectural elements that are condensed in the decorative arts. His classical, elegant aesthetic is teamed with an informal edge, a style that has become his trademark.
Heal’s
In the early 19th century, John Harris Heal but an end to straw mattresses in London, introducing French-style, feather-filled mattresses to London homeowners. His widow Fanny, and their son, John Harris Junior continued to reform the British bedding industry, offering French wool stuffing- a revolutionary idea in Victorian times. Ambrose Heal Junior joined the fold in 1893 with the mantra ‘if in doubt, innovate’, pushing British design stands and knighted in 1933 for his contributions to the industry. For over two centuries, Heals has continued to celebrate the art of hand tools and green woodworking techniques, from the traditional Windsor chair to the iconic Arts and Crafts furniture. Their Modern British collection takes these shapes and details, evolving them for a fresh take on a classic look. Truly one of the greatest British furniture designers.
Savoir Beds
Touted the world’s most luxurious sleeping system, Savoir beds are renowned for their high standards and comfort philosophy. Created for The Savoy Hotel in London in 1905, their tailor-made beds have become almost as legendary as the stars who have slept in them. Think ‘bespoke on bespoke’, making any size, shape, stand alone or headboard beautifully upholstered or even made fit into an existing frame. Savoir uses quality, natural materials from long, curled Latin American horse tail to Mongolian cashmere and British lamb’s wool. With each bed made in London or Wales, tailored to each customer, the craftsmen will label each completed job like an artist on a painting. Their mantra? ‘A Savoir bed is an investment that pays off every morning of your life’.
Beaumont & Fletcher
Beaumont & Fletcher’s handmade furniture sticks tightly to a brief of traditional methods and materials, made in England, naturally. Founder, John Crowell, restored furniture in his youth., spending summer holidays stripping down chaise longues and rebuilding them under the watchful eye of a retired master upholsterer. Naming his company after two successful playwrights, Beaumont & Fletcher’s furniture reflects a dramatic theatrical style.
Davidson London
Whether you’re looking to furnish your yacht or living room, Davidson London creates beautiful classic and modern furniture for all styles and tastes. The Great British Brand is an influential leader of British luxury furniture, and has made commitments to creating quality furniture that lasts through its 2022 campaign Buy It Once.
Featured image: Tetrad
