Heirloom Furniture. Handcrafted.

Discover the process of handcrafting a piece of bespoke furniture, unique to your home.

Hand-made furniture is not a recent innovation. From the Arts and Crafts movement of the Victorian era to the Studio Craft movement of the 60s and 70s, there has always been a small-but-thoughtful tribe of those who appreciate, who delight in, the counter-culture spirit of independent craftsmanship. Craftsmanship direct from the maker.

That spirit lives on.

In small workshops like mine, up and down the country, furniture is still being handcrafted. But quite apart from being the preserve of the aristocracy and business tycoons, today’s studio furniture is made for those who long for more than just another mass-produced item. Today’s studio furniture is made for those who have an independence about them, a curious intellect and an artisic streak. It is made for those who sit outside convention and forge their own path. It is made for those who appreciate things made well.

These are people who think for themselves, and take a considered approach to what they buy. They want to know the ins-and-outs of how something is made, and perhaps even be involved in this process themselves - not just be handed a freshly-printed piece off the production line.

These people are not most people.

If you are interested in the process of fine craftsmanship, and if you have read even this far, I can assure you - you are not most people.

Which is good. 

Because I can’t make for most people. 

send me an email to discuss your ideas for a bespoke piece

Who are you?

I don’t want to pigeon-hole you. In fact I couldn’t. Those interested in buying craftsmanship come from all walks of life, but they often share an outlook on the world. A tribe connected not so much through creed or heritage, but values and ideals. Perhaps though, for you, some of these hold true:

• I want to live in a creative space.

• I want to surround myself with beautiful, carefully chosen pieces. Pieces of art and craftsmanship. Pieces unique to me. Objects with soul.

• I want to gather pieces that bring along their stories. Stories I can share with others.

• I want to collect pieces that are close to tool and material and maker.

• I want to own things that are superbly crafted. Pieces that exemplify the kind of material, fit and finish not available to the mass market. A hand-crafted luxury. A rare treat, perhaps, but not loud, gauche or excessive. A luxury I can feel good about, because I know exactly where each piece comes from.

• I want my collection to last. I want to invest in work that has been built to be durable. Designed to age well. Pieces that develop a rich, mellow patina as they settle into my home and become part of my story.

Who am I?

Hello, my name is Stephen Hickman. Initially, my design training began at the University of Portsmouth, where I earnt a BSc in Computer Aided Product Design. My career took me into teaching, but the desire to design and make never left me, so in 2015 I enrolled on the Designer Maker course at Rowden Atelier, under the late cabinetmaker and artist David Savage.

The course was a deep dive into everything related to making fine furniture, with a strong emphasis on hand-tool skills. A classical training programme in art, design and cabinetmaking. Wonderful. Intense.

After two years, I stepped onto the staff team at Rowden. David was writing a book, The Intelligent Hand, and he asked me to join him as his featured maker - recording in detail the processes involved in making the finest furniture in the world.

“The Intelligent Hand” is a peek into a woodworking life that’s at a level that most of us can barely imagine. The customers are wealthy and eccentric. The designs have to leap off the page. And the craftsmanship has to be utterly, utterly flawless. How does one get to this point? And how do you stay there? One answer to these questions is in this book.

Introduction to “The Intelligent Hand” by Chris Schwarz, Lost Art Press

Following this, I returned to Rowden to teach hand-tool woodworking - passing on a few of the skills I had learnt myself.

I now design and make my own contemporary furniture. 

I make my pieces so you can furnish your home with elegant woodwork.  Please allow me to tell you about the processes, materials and philosophy that goes into each and every piece I produce.

The process of design

My process for designing a speculative piece or a bespoke piece is the same.

The difference for a bespoke piece? We talk. Communication is key.

I’ll visit you at home, and aim to get a clear understanding of what it is that you want. We’ll explore everything.

Design, colour, timber, size, detailing, functionality, finishing.

Everything.

Following our discussion, I spend some time with a pencil and sketchbook drawing life: flora, fauna, the human form. This investment time is indirect. I don’t intend that my furniture will look like a flower or an animal. My hope is that something of the ephemeral, delicate quality of life will come through in your piece.

The process then moves into a fully-conscious design. I take your requirements and turn them into a watercolour design proposal

I suppose if I was pushed, I would say that my designs seek to explore what a contemporary handcrafted British aesthetic might look like. We are familiar with an aesthetic of traditional “macho-woodwork”: cathedral doors, panelled libraries, museum cabinets.

That is not quite what I seek.

What I seek is a contemporary, captivating elegance. 

Perhaps that is vague, but my aim in each design is to retain that archetypically masculine quality usually found in woodwork, but then balance it with more archetypically feminine qualities. 

Strength and stability, balanced with grace, beauty and elegance. 

A harmony between the two. 

Or perhaps a dance.

Turning to the wood

After resolving the design of your piece on paper, I turn to the wood.

Wood is a timeless, elegant material: soft to the touch and gentle to live with. We welcome it in to furnish our homes, and then it gracefully returns to the earth when we are done with it.

Wood is a beautiful material, and we have a great pallet to work with. 

• Strong English Oak, the type of which has been used for hundreds of years to build warships and church spires.

• Bright Sycamore, which shines like quilted silk when polished.

• Rich, chocolate-brown Walnut, that reveals a beautiful pearlescence when viewed in just the right light. 

And so many others.

The wood I use is selected for a specific role in your piece. Some parts of a piece need to be straight-grained, adding structure and stability to your piece: the legs and underframe, for example. Others should be more be eye-catching: swirling grain-patterns, celebrated on door panels and tabletops. A statement-piece for your room. Boards so highly figured that they would be useless in industry, but perfect for someone who wants to celebrate wood in their home. 

A unique conversation

This design process is a unique conversation. A conversation that flows between client, material and maker. This conversation, this back-and-forth, this dance: this is the unique process of the designer-maker. In a bespoke piece, your voice is an important part of this. A bespoke piece, after all, is your piece.

It is a conversation between you and me.

Between the wood and the design.

Between that which is desired and that which is possible.

Between the expected and the unexpected. 

All these different elements.

It makes the work I do for you unique.

Heirloom craftsmanship straight from the bench

So with wood selected and design resolved, I make the piece with your investment in mind. Strong cabinetmaking joinery (dovetails, through-tenons, floating tenons, routed splines - things I’ve written about elsewhere) ensures that your piece not only lasts a long time, but can be restored and repaired as required.

Depending on the piece, I might use a range of techniques to shape and bend wood - playing with light, rhythm and form; seeking to capture something ephemeral that I spoke of earlier.

With most pieces, I start by using the machines. These then take wood to the correct size, cut true and accurate joints, and generally do most of the heavy lifting. They save my energy for where it really matters - the fine detailing and finishing that you will experience on your piece.

For this part I turn to a hand-tool kit that any cabinetmaker from the last hundred years (or more) would immediately recognise - planes, chisels, fine abrasives. Not as some sort of historical curiosity, but because I know that these tools give me the high-quality results I demand for each piece.

Finishing

Once the piece is made, it is still not finished. I have two standard workshop finishes: oil and french polish. Which one I use depends on the piece.

• Hardwax Oil - for pieces of furniture that get day-to-day use.

• French Polish - for delicate pieces of cabinetry and boxwork.

Hardwax oils contain a blend of natural oils and waxes that sink in and nourish the wood. They protect the wood from scuffs, scratches and liquid spills. They can be easily recoated or repaired by an experienced woodworker as and when necessary.

French polishing is a hundred-coat polish of shellac, with a coating of wax to finish. It is a beautiful, natural and traditional finish. Truly the gold standard for cabinetry - it draws out the colours and sheen from the wood that cannot be replicated any other way. But it is very delicate, and will scratch and dull with wear. For this reason, I reserve it for pieces that will be spared from the type of use that furniture often gets.

Either way, I tend to rub out a satin finish. Shiny but not quite mirrored. Silken to the touch.

Both finishes are soft, natural and repairable. Finishes that can be simply re-coated and revived for years to come by an experienced maker. Neither one seals up the furniture in a plastic varnish which can flake and crack over time. Both are chosen as finishes that age gracefully with use. A finish that develops a gentle patina to tell the story of the piece finding its place in your home and becoming, well, part of the furniture.

So what do you say?

So that is the vision.

I want to put beautiful, unique pieces into your home. Pieces that capture that delicate and beautiful quality of life as best as I can. Pieces that will add their note to your home’s unique aesthetic. Pieces that you will not just look at, but use. Pieces that will become part of your story. Pieces you will treasure, love, and hand down to those who will come after you.

As I hope you have seen, the process of making a piece is far too long, far too considered and far too labour intensive for it to be a mass-market offering. 

So I can’t make for most people.

But perhaps I can make for you?

~sh

Get in touch

Click the button above to open a new email message and begin our conversation. Alternatively, go to Profile/ Contact for other ways to get in touch.

Reassurance and Guarantee

My final reassurance is that whenever you get in touch, I will never give you the hard-sell. In fact, I am a pretty useless salesman. We’ll send a few emails back and forth, discussing your initial requirements. We’ll perhaps have a phone call. Then I’ll come and visit you to take a full brief. A week or so later I’ll return with a watercolour design, some wood samples, and the price quote.

I’ll go through everything, and give you a chance to ask any questions. And then…I’ll leave everything with you - to make a decision when you are ready.

Some people will want to make an immediate decision - to get the piece going as quickly as possible! Others will want to take longer to consider it - this is an important investment, after all.

Either way is fine.

No hard-sell.

I would rather show you what I do and then give you as much space as you need to consider it. I’m happy to let my work speak for itself, and for you to make a purchase only when you are ready.

The only time when speed is really an important factor is if you see something you like in my shop. Every speculative piece I sell is individually made, and those that rely on a specific piece of wood cannot be exactly replicated. They are truly unique items.

Bespoke work is non-refundable, but we will communicate throughout the process, to guarantee that you are completely happy with the final result. If you buy a pre-made piece off my website and change your mind, you can return it to me in perfect condition within 30 days and get a full refund.