The best furniture makers in Britain, as chosen by the nation's top designers and architects

Furniture by Hampshire-based Gaze Burvill in a garden designed by Harris Bugg, which has studios in Devon, London and Scotland — The Experts' Experts in Country Life — Furniture by Hampshire-based Gaze Burvill in a garden designed by Harris Bugg, which has studios in Devon, London and Scotland.

(Image credit: Gaze Burvill / Harris Bugg)

This is the second part of our series on the experts' experts, in which we spoke to two dozen members of the Country Life Top 100 about the artisans, dealers and writers whose work and wisdom have played a huge part in their careers. The previous instalment saw them name the greatest craftspeople working in Britain.

Tim Crump, Oakwrights: Robin Clarke crafts Windsor chairs at his home in Herefordshire. They are true country-home heirlooms. My mother bought me a high-back broad armchair many years ago and I have been collecting them ever since. For the full country look from one supplier, Neptune has all bases covered and Simon Burvill and his team at Gaze Burvill are true artisans of outdoor furniture. Every time my hand glides across a steam-bent back of a garden chair, it gives me the inspiration to make a better product.

Ben Naylor, Jack Badger: Charles Byron and María del Mar Gómez of Somerset studio Byron & Gómez execute thoughtful and elegantly realised designs with inspiring attention to detail and finish. They continue the tradition of fine British furniture-making that grew out of the Cotswold School via such luminaries as Alan Peters and John Makepeace; this integrity and lineage is unmistakable in their work. It is great to see makers whose present respects the past with such confidence and mastery.

Meg Boscawen: Joss Stoddart produces crafted pieces with a real sense of integrity and individuality. His attention to detail and understanding of materials is something I greatly admire.

Edward Smith, Artorius Faber: We have worked on some great projects across the country with Nick Anderson of bespoke kitchen and interior specialist Guild Anderson in Wiltshire.

Kitchen created by Guild Anderson — This magnificent kitchen was created by Guild Anderson for a project by the interior designer Max Rollitt and ADAM Architecture, and was featured in the Country Life Top 100 earlier in 2026.

Greg Tirri, RW Armstrong Group: Nick Kirby and his team at Saint John Architectural Interiors in Hampshire, part of our Group, are experts in veneering and there is nothing they don’t know about this versatile material and process.

Shankar Kothapuram, Tom Stuart-Smith Studio: Decades of experience are evident in the craftsmanship of the sofas and chairs by Chester’s India, made with traditional Chesterfield techniques. There is a clear authenticity to what it produces, even if the workshop is in Bangalore, thousands of miles from Chesterfield.

Bee Osborn, Osborn Interiors: Rupert Bevan’s craftsmanship is second to none.

The Vita Grande &Eacute;tag&egrave;re is made in patinated brass, leather and walnut at Rupert Bevan&rsquo;s work-shop near Ludlow in Shropshire.

Angelica Squire, Studio Squire: I have long admired the work of Lulu Lytle of Soane Britain. A recent visit to its awe-inspiring workshop, seeing up-close the dedication to nurturing and preserving traditional craft, was truly mesmerising.

Hugo Bugg, Harris Bugg: Nathalie de Leval makes outdoor furniture that is beautiful, contemporary and entirely timeless. Her Hauben bench, which you can see at RHS Wisley in Surrey, is a good example of how she works: simple in form, considered in every detail and equally at home in a formal garden or a wilder setting.

Sarah Vanrenen, Vanrenen Hanbury: For good value ‘off-the-peg’ upholstered furniture, we work with Boura & White, with whom we have collaborated to make the Bluey range of sofas and chairs.

Lonika Chande: We have worked with Alfred Newall on dining tables and dressing rooms. I love the craftsmanship and simplicity of his work.

Robbie Kerr, ADAM Architecture: Until very recently, I would have said Andrew Dumolo, who sadly died all too suddenly and too young. I feel lucky to have learnt so much from this wonderful, generous and talented man and to have a number of his pieces, including a desk and chair that quietly inspire every day I sit down to work. I also love the work of North Yorkshire-based Robert Thompson because the rustic and raw qualities of the materials are so rich in texture and warmth.

Rupert Cunningham, Ben Pentreath Studio: If you want an authentically detailed piece of Georgian-inspired furniture without doing endless drawings, then look no further than Wiltshire-based David Coryndon. He knows his cyma recta from his cyma reversa, which is refreshing in a world where knowledge of Classical detailing seems increasingly rare.

Giles Kime is Country Life's Executive and Interiors Editor, an expert in interior design with decades of experience since starting his career at The World of Interiors magazine. Giles joined Country Life in 2016, introducing new weekly interiors features, bridging the gap between our coverage of architecture and gardening. He previously launched a design section in The Telegraph and spent over a decade at Homes & Gardens magazine (launched by Country Life's founder Edward Hudson in 1919). A regular host of events at London Craft Week, Focus, Decorex and the V&A, he has interviewed leading design figures, including Kit Kemp, Tricia Guild, Mary Fox Linton, Chester Jones, Barbara Barry and Lord Snowdon. He has written a number of books on interior design, property and wine, the most recent of which is on the legendary interior designer Nina Campbell who last year celebrated her fiftieth year in business. This Autumn sees the publication of his book on the work of the interior designer, Emma Sims-Hilditch. He has also written widely on wine and at 26, was the youngest ever editor of Decanter Magazine. Having spent ten years restoring an Arts & Crafts house on the banks of the Itchen, he and his wife, Kate, are breathing life into a 16th-century cottage near Alresford that has remained untouched for almost half a century.