Commissioning homewares: London makers can help you live out your fantasies — it costs less than you think

London’s coolest makers are proving bespoke doesn’t have to mean broke
Jermaine Gallacher’s showroom, full of bespoke commissions and one-off pieces
Matt Writtle
Jermaine Gallacher1 April 2022

If your imagination is not catered for by what’s already out there on the homewares scene then I say make it yourself. Or rather, commission someone else to make it for you — unless you have a full workshop in your back garden and the expertise to use it.

London is full of makers with well-equipped studios and fantastic skills ready to interpret your outlandish designs and turn them into finished objects, and new enclaves of cool craftsmen are popping up as I type.

And while the idea of commissioning furniture might seem rather grand, in fact you’d be surprised: I promise you bespoke doesn’t have to mean broke.

It won’t cost a huge amount to add instant individuality to even the most basic, seen-it-everywhere furniture.

Barnaby Lewis’s forge at his studio in Bermondsey
Handout

My friend Barnaby Lewis has just set up a forge at his studio in Bermondsey where he can hammer you out all sorts of fabulous objects.

I find good-looking door handles some of the most difficult objects to source so I love designing them myself and getting Barnaby to make them. This is such a smart way to spruce up your kitchen cabinets or wardrobe doors. An awkward hallway could be transformed by a made-to-measure coat hook, or you could get daily delight from a beauteous toilet-roll holder.

Vintage Veranda sofa by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, reupholstered by Altyn and available at Dudley Waltzer
Handout

Across the road from Barnaby is Charlie Froud Studio. A formidable carpenter who takes a truly artistic approach to his work, Charlie’s your man if you need some hard-wearing shelving with dovetail joinery, for example.

Miranda Keyes knows her way around a blowpipe and can turn your most outlandish vase dreams into reality. Or a drinks party with goblets made by her would be truly out of the ordinary.

At her Forest Gate Studio, Altyn, Olga Mackenzie breathes new life into any old footstool or lumpy sofa
Olga MacKenzie

If it’s just a facelift you need — for your tired furniture only — Olga Mackenzie can breathe new life into any sad old footstool or sagging sofa. At her Forest Gate studio, Altyn, Olga uses her extensive knowledge of 20th-century furniture and upholstery to turn even the most complex of jobs from lumpy to lovely. All you have to do is choose the fabric.

Armed with the secrets of my entire Rolodex, I entreat you to remember one last thing: commissioning homewares is as much about the process as it is the finished article.

In a world where you can have any piece of ready-made tat delivered to your door in less than 24 hours, this is your opportunity to work with the best in the biz, masters of their crafts. I personally couldn’t think of anything better.

Where to find London’s best makers

Barnaby Lewis studio , Unit 6 Orion Business Centre, Surrey Canal Road, SE14 5RT, (barnabylewis.studio@gmail.com)

Charlie Froud studio, Unit 10-11, Excelsior Works, Rollins Street, SE15 1EP (showroom@jermainegallacher.com for info)

Miranda Keyes , The Studios 330 St James’s Road, SE1 5JX (miranda.keyes@icloud.com; studiokeyes.co.uk)

Altyn (olgamackenzie@gmail.com; altynhome.com)

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