Taking an idea to a design is one thing. Turning that design into reality is quite another task. Thankfully our production team are as passionate as the rest of us when it comes to making furniture. They love it!
They particlarly delight in the fact that our designs are complex, intricate and beautiful. The reward we all derivefrom turning raw timber into a beautiful piece of furniture is wonderful.
And so great care goes into this whole process. Firstly we go to great lengths to find ever better sources of the best timbers we can get. We particularly seek out timber sources that are well managed in a sustainable way. Timber is a wonderful material to work with in that it is an entirely renewable resource. It also has such great natural beauty, each piece with its own story, whether it’s dry winters, wet springs or a baking hot summer. So we like to know everything about our timber to be sure it will live upto your expectations.
Having found the best timber, a key aspect of a well constructed cab net is in place. Furniture will only be as good as the materials chosen. That is why we chose NOT to use MDF or chipboard. The main reason is that these materials have no inherent strength at all as they have none of the long fibrous strands found in timber. They simply rely on a high level of noxious chemicals to hold their form.
We now apply the same attention to detail when it comes to how we butt our timber together to make a cabinet. The simple and cheapest methods normally used are simply to glue joints together, located by a few dowels. Our approach is entirely different. Firstly we pay attention to the characteristics of our timber and how it will “move” over its lifetime. Although our timber is dried to 6-8% moisture content it will nevertheless expand and contract according to the humidity at any given time of year throughout its entire life. In that respect it is still living.
Unlike many kitchens, our cabinets are all fully framed for greater strength and beauty. These frames are made up from stiles (uprights) and rails, as are the doors. In order to ensure the best strength we use a traditional mortise and tenon joint. Not only is this joint epoxy glued together, we also physically lock it with a dowel to guarantee it stays firmly together for good. You can occasionally see these locks if you look closely enough.
Similarly our drawers are not butt jointed with a dowel but in fact we use a dovetail joint, where timber fingers from each part interlock to create robust corners to your drawers. Additionally we always ensure a solid base let into the drawer sides so that, should you choose to store the full 30kgs made possible by our runners, the drawers can take the pace!
Literally every aspect of the construction is studied and then specified in the greatest detail so that we can be sure that you will be entirely satisfied.
