Bespoke
Furniture from Sean Feeney Furniture
Sean Feeney Furniture uses the finest woods to create our bespoke furniture, and we specialise in traditional techniques and materials.
Rather than produce a specific range of pieces for sale or to supply major furniture outlets, we prefer to work directly with the customer, which allows us to continue creating unique and original pieces.
For
this reason, you won't find any actual items of furniture for sale on
this site. Although we're happy to base a new piece of bespoke furniture
upon an existing
piece if you find yourself inspired by it, you may prefer to use different
woods or explore different finishes - since we start from scratch for
each piece, there is tremendous freedom to be creative.
"I never look at other designers or books for inspiration," says Sean. "Instead, I look at a client's house, or the objects they have in a room - this will give me a pretty good idea of what they want."
We are happy to discuss bespoke furniture commissions with clients from anywhere in the world - click here for price illustrations and ordering details.
Why not contact us to talk through your ideas?
Bespoke Furniture
Materials and Techniques
Bespoke furniture requires materials of exceptional quality, and an intimate knowledge of a wide range of timbers and techniques.
Much of our timber comes from local suppliers - at any given time, you will find fine English timbers, such as walnut, oak, sycamore and burr elm, seasoning in planks or boards in our yard at an old village school in the heart of rural Warwickshire.
After drying outdoors for several years, the wood is kiln-dried to stabilise the moisture content, so that it can withstand variations in temperature and humidity without splitting or warping. Workshop conditions are controlled and monitored throughout the making of each piece of furniture, so that the wood's perfection is maintained from construction through to completion and for the rest of the piece's long life.
A recent collection for the prestigious "Celebration of Craftsmanship and Design" exhibition in Cheltenham featured three items made from the local "Warwickshire Weed" - otherwise known as elm, now sadly a rare material due to dutch elm disease - using timber originally felled in the 1980's that has been seasoning ever since. (See Lingerie Chests, Executive Chairs and Display Cabinet.)
As well as modern machinery and techniques, we also use traditional methods and hand tools to create our bespoke furniture, and you will see examples of dovetail jointing, inlay and marquetry decoration in our portfolio of hand made furniture.
Contact us to find out more.
Sean
Feeney, Master Craftsman, Bespoke Furniture Maker
Sean has been a bespoke furniture maker for more than 26 years. A qualified cabinet-maker, he holds six prestigious Craft Guild Marks from the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers. This Mark is awarded only to items that demonstrate excellence in design, materials, workmanship and function.
Selected as an outstanding designer by eminent furniture expert Betty Norbury for the publication Furniture for the 21st Century (Viking Studio 2000, around £30), and featured in her latest prestigious publication BESPOKE: Source Book of Furniture Designer Makers (Stobart Davies Ltd 2007, RRP £39.95), Sean has designed and created bespoke furniture for a wide range of private and corporate clients.
"I always wanted to become a craftsman," says Sean. "From the age of 10 or 11, I used to make my own toys and rabbit hutches, and I excelled in school at wood and metalwork along with technical drawing and art."
Part of Sean's childhood was spent in the Far East, and the influence of this exotic region can be seen in much of his work, with the use of rich materials such as mother-of-pearl and glossy hardwoods.
Usually his clients are so keen to receive their completed commissions that there is no time to show them off, but occasionally he is able to display his work, and has exhibited at a number of prestigious events including the Distinctive Homes Interior Show in Alexandra Palace London and the Interior Design International Show at Earls Court in London. His work also features regularly at the Celebration of Craftsmanship in Cheltenham and at a select few galleries in the UK. In 2008 his work was exhibited at the House of Commons in the first exhibition in the Palace of Westminster's history to feature the work of British furniture designers/makers.
Sean has been a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers since 2004, when he was also admitted to the Freedom of the City of London; and between 2005-2008 he sat on the judging panel of the Bespoke Guild Mark committtee. In 2006 he also served as judge for the furniture sections of the annual Wood Awards.
home: custom furniture makers | about us:
bespoke furniture | portfolio: hand made furniture
resources
| pricing
examples | contact
us