Edward Johnson

15th August 2019

Crafting innovative furniture for inspiring people: the essence of our business. A little over a year ago we were working hard on the development of our new website, not only its new design but its content. This can be an exciting and interesting exercise albeit challenging to really nail it – to really think about what we do, why we do it, and how we can best convey what we can achieve for our clients in a logical and visually pleasing way. Importantly, before we could even begin to think about the website’s design and navigation, we focused our energy on thinking about every aspect of the business, from our products, our philosophy & promise, our processes and, most essentially, how we convey our close working relationship with our clients to ensure we produce excellent outcomes and solutions. This is an ongoing process that requires constant reassessment and we are always working hard to fine tune our message and mission, to be concise about the essence of the business and how we define what we offer with clarity and vision. This ongoing research is not only relevant for our website, but for every aspect of what we do, from publicity materials, to customer services, to categorising our services clearly to enable our clients to make informed decisions. In a nutshell, we design and make exclusive, bespoke and limited-edition luxury furniture to provide you with quality, originality and choice. We create products for those who are looking for something truly individual. We offer seven services, each one culminating in a beautiful piece of furniture that has been expertly and exquisitely crafted. Whichever option our clients choose – we pride ourselves on our customer care and in everything we design and create. We also guide our clients every step of the way! 'Crafting innovative furniture for inspiring people' MADE & READY FURNITUREWe hold a selection of limited-edition furniture already made and ready for delivery. This often includes more affordable/smaller items from the Sussex Collection and occasionally Edward’s latest signature showpieces from the Signature Collection. This is ideal for those wanting to view and purchase something immediately. SUSSEX COLLECTIONThis is a selection of smaller limited-edition items, comprising of more affordable pieces. Each piece in the collection is made in our own workshop, with the same high-quality craftsmanship and attention to detail as any of the larger Edward Johnson pieces. SIGNATURE COLLECTIONWe offer a selection of Edward’s Signature Collection designs that can be tailored to your specific requirements. This option is ideal for those who like an existing signature design but would like it to meet their requirements without the premium cost and time commitment required to produce a totally new piece of bespoke furniture. BLUEPRINT COLLECTION The Blueprint Collection consists of Edward’s exploratory concepts that have been developed into initial designs but are yet to be finalised and put into production. The Blueprint Collection offers an exciting opportunity for anyone wishing to commission one of Edward’s more challenging and innovative creations. BESPOKE FURNITUREWe offer a flexible bespoke service where we tailor each piece to your specific requirements and lifestyle. We work with you to create a solid brief from the outset, and either start with a brand-new concept, or adapt one of our existing signature designs. EXCLUSIVE ONE-OFFWe offer an exclusive bespoke service for those clients wishing to commission a unique one-off design. This service is ideal for those who want exclusivity on a design. This service is as our bespoke option, but it attracts a premium due to the exclusive one-off nature of the pieces. SEASONED COLLECTIONIn the future you might move home, or your taste might change. Therefore, we provide a refurbish and re-sale service exclusively for our clients’ commissions. This secondary service is ideal for those who have commissioned a free-standing Edward Johnson design and wish to transfer custodianship. <back to blog

Family tree - heirloom boxes

19th July 2019

The story behind four special heirloom gifts The best commissions involve a creative and fluid interaction and understanding between the client and designer and this project epitomises this process. Having previously commissioned Edward to make a chest of drawers and delighted with the outcome, our client asked Edward to consider designing four* gifts that would become heirloom pieces for her grandchildren. Family Tree - heirlooms boxes Starting with an open brief, it took a few months to finalise exactly what form this commission would take, during which time the basic concept was born: to incorporate the date of birth of three generations of the family within the design of our Murano veneer. The curved Murano pattern represents the annual growth rings of a tree, with the dark fumed oak core symbolising the year 1933, and the subsequent dark fumed oak lines marking each family member’s year of birth. Family Tree in the making Executed to an exceptional level of craftsmanship by our cabinet maker Peter, two boxes have been made in elm and two in walnut, each containing the same dark fumed oak inlay lines. Juxtaposed with the Murano, the end of the box was designed to represent the bark of a tree. Taking inspiration from traditional Hakone marquetry and Tunbridge ware, hundreds of tiny squares of end grain create a unique smooth pattern resulting in a striking visual contrast. Using a bespoke bearing mechanism, the boxes pivot from one corner enabling the lid to swivel open to allow access to a shallow upper tray, which also opens to reveal a deeper second tray that has an illusion line to the outside. Heirloom box shown in in elm with fumed oak (left) and walnut with fumed oak (right) *Our client was so delighted they’ve since commissioned an additional one for themselves! Family Tree - heirloom box <back to blog

Cherishing Craftsmanship!

17th July 2019

Over the past ten years we have had the immense pleasure of working on some truly amazing projects, some that even now make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end. One project in particular changed even my perception of what we do and made me fall in love with cabinet making all over again. If you’re not the hands-on type I can appreciate that at best this sounds geeky and weird but let me try and explain. At the beginning of each project you’re full of ambition and partially ignorant to the true scale of the challenge ahead. You start with great excitement and importantly with a clean sheet. Unlike writing this article, where I can delete my mistakes, as a cabinet maker you more often than not have to live with them. Being a perfectionist, this can be enormously frustrating. To counter this, you plan with foresight, jot down notes, sketch, consider the various processes and jigs required and go to sleep trying to build in your mind a three-dimensional picture of each joint and component. You plan the timber out methodically, allowing for natural splits, knots, the occasional lead shot, and human mistakes whilst trying to keep your options open as much as possible. Then it’s full steam ahead and only experience tells you when you need to put the brakes on and take a step back. The further into the project, the greater the responsibility builds. You’ve taken a simple but beautiful piece of timber, cut it, bent it, shaped it, glued it, shaped it some more, sanded it, sanded it some more, until it becomes a recognisable and tangible piece of furniture. In some cases, this can be the culmination of months of hard work, thousands of tiny decisions and numerous jubilant highs and nail-biting lows. I can assure you high-end furniture making is not for the faint-hearted! Of course, there are varying degrees of furniture making, from rustic joinery to fine cabinet making. You will know that we do not just machine a nice piece of timber, stick four legs on it, fill the gaps with bright coloured resin and push it out the door (I think I’d rather the piece of wood was left as it was, at least it would rot quicker without the resin in it! Arrghh!). Fortunately, we work at the finer end of the industry and we are increasingly being commissioned to work on extraordinary projects. Projects that have allowed me and the team time to focus our craftsmanship skills and cherish our position as innovators in the industry. From the family tree boxes (see front page) that took over 500 hours to finesse, to two extraordinary chairs we made a couple of years ago, each one taking three months - yes, three months for each chair – it blows your mind doesn’t it! We’ve certainly been able to indulge and progress our ability as craftsmen and further explore the boundaries of furniture making. When you get to work at this level, it isn’t just a job, it’s a passion, and one that we are extremely grateful to be part of. In a world full of mass-produced plastic, it’s nice to provide our clients with a valuable traditional skill that continues to stand the test of time. Hence, I say thank you to all those who have commissioned us and other craftsmen and women alike to create beautiful objects and preserve skills that without your patronage wouldn’t exist. We cherish the craftsmanship process and we hope you enjoy the final product. Edward Johnson, July 2019 <back to blog

Contemporary Luxury Furniture