Furniture Design Signature Styles

Designer furniture

Useful and beautiful

An innovative furniture designer

Edward Johnson’s designs explore beauty through juxtaposition: square and round, restrained and bold, fluid and exact, logical and daring, traditional and innovative. There is no mistaking his distinctive award-winning style. His fluid, tactile and meticulously detailed designs encapsulate the best of all periods, from the classic to Art Deco, Arts and Crafts to contemporary. Whether it’s a subtle sweeping chamfer or a striking and original surface pattern, Edward combines his engineering aptitude and unique design style to achieve a high-quality finish every time.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

William Morris

Bespoke inspiration

While the pieces in our collections are available through our online shop, whether Made & Ready or Made to Order, you can also incorporate their distinctive styles in a bespoke project, referencing existing designs in the brief.

How much input do I get in a bespoke design?

It’s up to you. Some of our clients prefer having more input than others in the design process, depending on whether they have strong or more general ideas. Regardless, we work in close collaboration with all our clients, always listening carefully to your requirements and responding with tailored, expert advice.

Edward Johnson in a meeting with clients discussing a design drawing

Descriptive, not prescriptive

In the early stages of the design, Edward encourages his clients to focus more broadly on how you would like the piece to feel and look in general terms, rather than on precise details. When furnishing a room from scratch, we want to get to know you and your aspirations for the space. If you are looking to match with an established aesthetic and existing décor, we will start by looking at the space itself. Putting together a mood board of furniture, rooms and other inspiration is a good way of communicating your vision.

Collaborative creation

A bespoke design is as much about your style as it is Edward’s. Each piece reflects the crucially symbiotic relationship between designer-maker and client, combining Edward’s distinctive style and the client’s character. You bring the requirements and personal taste and we’ll bring it to life with our vision and expertise.

Furniture design sketches on paper by Edward Johnson

Signature Collections

Edward often takes an experimental approach to his work and consistently strives to develop new techniques and ways of working. Some of these methods have been perfected and developed into a number of collections. Of course, these examples are just a flavour of what he can design and produce. We have pulled them together here for your inspiration and to give you a taste of his signature styles.

Chair and three side tables made in ash with vase of tulips.

Murano Collection: Layers & Lines

The Murano Collection was originally inspired by a visit to the island of Murano, where Venetian master craftsmen have been producing glassware for centuries by floating layers of different coloured glass through one another to produce exquisite patterns.

Our Murano veneers use contrasting timbers to form wavy, radial or straight designs with a textured or blended effect. Carefully matched sweeping lines and curves engulf entire surfaces, evoking a sense of movement. The Murano veneers can be constructed in a wide range and combination of timbers and applied to almost any of our designs.

A Personal Touch… Personalise your Murano commission with a subtle twist on the annual growth rings of a tree. Edward’s ‘Family Tree’ concept incorporates your family’s birth years into a piece of furniture by inlaying contrasting rings in the Murano veneer.

Explore our Murano Collection designs.

Ripples Collection: Fluid & Fun

Our Ripples furniture is made using an original technique, developed and perfected by Edward Johnson. This innovative approach has been acknowledged with prestigious Bespoke Guild Marks and the Wood Awards.

Inspired by the action of a stone dropping into water, Edward’s concept was to give the illusion of concentric ripples engulfing the entire form, bringing movement, life and softness to the surfaces. Many hours have been spent designing, refining and prototyping this technique to enable the successful crafting of this unique rippled effect in real timber.

Our rippled concept can be applied to nearly any piece of furniture with any desired function, in almost any wood.

Explore our Ripples Collection designs.

Freeform Collection: Smooth & Sinuous

The Freeform Collection is all about clean lines and curves. Often the sweeping curved elements used in the construction are made from one continuous length of timber, shaped and manipulated through various moulding techniques. Each curved element is then finished by hand, requiring outstanding craftsmanship and a keen eye for detail.

During the research and development stage, we often make small-scale models and prototypes to help us understand how the wood wants to twist and bend. Working with the natural flowing lines and capabilities of the timber, we typically require more flexibility from our clients during this development stage.

Explore our Freeform Collection designs.

Sussex Collection: Classic & Contemporary

The Sussex Collection reflects Edward’s natural design aesthetic, characterised by clean, elegant lines and curved forms with stylish detailing. Balancing form with function, this eclectic collection is unified by a classic yet contemporary feel.

Explore our Sussex Collection.