The Bespoke Home - Furniture Maker

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The Bespoke Home - Furniture Maker

Bespoke furniture made from a variety of local and exotic hard woods. Welcome to The Bespoke Home! I am a furniture maker based in Penrith, Cumbria.

I make bespoke pieces of furniture - some small, some large, from a range of local and exotic hard woods and love to showcase the natural grain, pattern and colours of wood in my work. I hope you enjoy my page and my website (www.thebespokehome.co.uk), enjoy browsing my creations and occasionally getting an update on my cheeky pups and general Lakeland living.

22/07/2024

Lovely little feature in Cumbria Life Magazine this month. Grab your copy if you want to swoon over my furniture 😆

Thank you Sharon for choosing my work

31/05/2024

The hugest footstool ever!

Well, the biggest one I ever made anyway. This beauty measures a whopping 1.2 metres square!

Inside is a wooden frame, 5 inches of foam on top, and the whole thing is clad in wadding to give it that extra plushness.

The cover was sewn by and all put together by moi.

I delivered this big beauty to Glasgow - and lugged it up four flights of stairs (why do the big things always go off to live on the top floor?!). It was worth it though, to see it in place, nestled between three sofas in a gorgeous bright airy living room.

29/05/2024

I really enjoyed making this extending dining table. The brief was - 'I'd like it square, extending to round, I want to be able to push my chairs all the way under, and I want it to match my existing furniture - made by my great uncle which is well over 100 years old'

Oooh, I do like a challenge! Square to round is easy - or even have it as an oval too. It seemed obvious to have one central leg that didn't get in the way of the chairs or the leaves when they folded away. The bit that stretched my brain cells was the mechanism underneath - how would the leaves stay up? And what would hold them in place when they stowed were away?

I was quite chuffed when I came up with a simple design that didn't involve too many parts. The support that holds the leaf up, also holds it under by means of a groove in the side. I hope the photos explain it better than my words.

Once the table was made, I then had to make it look over 100 years old. There's only one option, in my opinion, and that is to fume it with ammonia. Staining wood (in my opinion!) looks awful! It brings out all the wrong bits in the grain. I prefer it natural, and, back in the day, Oak turned black by exactly the same method I used, but with actual p*e, not ammonia bought online.

Animals used to live downstairs in barns and people with their furniture upstairs. The fumes from the livestock downstairs reacted with the tannin in the oak and stained it black.

As the customer didn't want to wait 100 years, or invite cattle or sheep to p*e in her dining room, I built an airtight tent around her table at the workshop, popped a bowl of ammonia inside. I went home, had dinner, slept and went back 12 hours later to a beautifully brown, naturally aged 100 year old, brand new table!

I finished the table top in resin to protect it from spills and heat.

The customer is delighted with her new dining table, which means I'm delighted too, and no farm animals were harmed in the process 😃

08/02/2024

You may remember this big (huge!) beauty as I made it just over a year ago. It has been back in the workshop lately for some TLC.

I wasn't sure whether to tell you that this piece needed some love. But, wood is wood, and it does sometimes misbehave. Being the lovely maker I am, who prides herself on great and reliable customer service, I trotted on up to the Highlands and I fixed it.

This fellscape shares its quarters with the hugest wood burning stove you've ever seen and two big radiators. Fellow cabinet makers I'm sure will feel my pain!

Curiosity got the better of me and I tested the moisture content of the wood - it is dryer than when it came out of the kiln!! It has been well and truly cooked in the customers home!

I've re-mounted the picture part in the frame. Rather than being glued together, they are now two separate parts. This will allow for further shrinkage. I'm very hopeful though, that as it has been acclimatising to its surroundings for over a year, it has done all the misbehaving it is going to do!

28/01/2024

Where do I start with this one?! I'm not even sure what to call it? It's a sideboard, a media unit, a bar, it has secret bits, and... it looks so damn awesome, too! 😆

The customer saw a video on my website, and her imagination went crazy and she was so excited to commission her own unique piece of furniture.

She has a very old, very loved turntable to play her records. The middle of the top of the unit lifts up to reveal the record player and also has built-in speakers.

The vinyl will be stored in the left-hand cupboard - 12", and the bottom drawer - 7". The right-hand cupboard will store drink bottles on the bottom, and there are two shelves above for her glasses.

She wanted a secret drawer and a tray for pens and other stationery items. She wanted all this wrapped up in my 'Off-Cut' style, complete with curved doors - I'm really getting the hang of curved doors now!

I think it's fair to say I nailed the brief. I have one extremely satisfied customer, which makes me a very happy cabinet maker indeed!

12/01/2024

My little fur baby is 9 today!

Happy birthday Phoebe / Phoebes / Munchkin / Munchie / Pup Pup / Rugby Rat / Ruggy / Warrier Princess / Little Button / Little S**t / Stubborn Mare / Angel / My Baby!

🎂

11/01/2024

Pretty groovy! 😉

09/01/2024

Stripes!!!

Cladding my latest build with all natural things bright and beautiful 😍

#

01/01/2024

Hamish wondering what on earth that big bright ball is in the sky on our walk yesterday!

As the sun sets on another year, I look back on 2023 and have so much to be grateful for. You never know where life is going to take you, and 2023 definitely taught me to sit back, hold on tight, and enjoy the ride!

Thank you to you all for coming on that ride with me. Your support - no matter how small, means so much to a little business, and the person behind it 🥰

The pups and I wish you a wonderful 2024. Whatever it brings, embrace it. Grab every opportunity, make it count. Don't stress about things you can't control. Live it, love it and wring every ounce of fun out of it!

Jay x

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from me and the windswept pups!

Huge thanks to everyone who supported me and my little business this year. Whether it was a purchase, comment, share, or even a like. Every little helps!

The workbench is (kinda) clean, we're ready for a break and some family and friends time. We'll be back next year with some more fabulous creations.

However you spend the holidays, I hope you have a lovely time.

Much love and thanks

Jay, Phoebe and Hamish x x x

24/12/2023

I had a great day yesterday teaching Andy to make this box. He's a competent woodworker but he still learned lots and really loved his day at the workshop.

We covered a lot of techniques from planing the wood to size, cutting mitres, routing grooves, assembling, sanding and also ebonising and finishing.

It was a busy day, Andy worked hard and got to take his beautiful box home with him. He left very happy indeed!

If you'd like a day at the workshop with me, get in touch. All welcome - from complete beginners to hobby enthusiasts!

22/12/2023

The pups went for their hand strip yesterday. Kath is so gentle and does such a brilliant job. If you have a wire haired dog who needs stripping, I can't recommend her highly enough 🐾

Address

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+447786271147

Website

http://www.thebespokehome.co.uk/

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