“If you were going to invent the perfect material, it would be wood. It’s sustainable, it grows, it’s structurally sound, it comes in different colours, shapes and sizes, and it’s malleable”
“I was liberated from it,” he says of his past career. “I’m better at this. Maybe it’s because I grew up in dad’s workshop and have an understanding of form and size.
He admits: “I think I’ve always been a frustrated product designer, but there are lots of transferable skills, such as when it came to building our website and creating our brand. I had an idea and put it into action.” It’s the market for the products that has changed beyond recognition, with around 85 per cent of them now sold firmly within the boundaries of the M25 motorway, which encircles the capital. This shift has come about naturally as a result of interior designers snapping up furniture for their clients.“A massive amount of our furniture is bought by interior designers, who buy multiple pieces; we have a big trade following.
“I want it to be more like a visitor centre, bringing our customers closer and helping them understand the effort that goes into making our products. We want them to be able to see the process; people are interested in it.”