Katherine Midgley and Seamus Green, Midgley Green

Katherine Midgley and Seamus Green live in a small village in Somerset. They met at university and both have backgrounds in fine art. Katherine and Seamus always wanted to run their own business and the idea for an online contemporary crafts shop selling usable, functional things came about because they love handmade British goods.

‘We dipped a toe in online and started the business in April 2015,’ says Katherine. ‘We’re curators selecting design-led items that reflect the growing interest in sustainable crafts. We work alongside contemporary smallbatch makers who produce traditionally crafted pieces for the home. The natural outdoors governs our taste and informs the work that we curate. Each product is in tune with the land, embracing where it has come from through material and design. We want our customers to feel like we’re bringing together a collection of work that is carefully selected for its form or function, rather than its turnover value.’

Katherine and Seamus visit craftspeople in their studios – making contact with the country’s best makers in wood, metal, ceramics, blacksmithing and tanning. ‘We sell the work of around 15 to 20 people with whom we have built strong relationships over the past year.

‘We were thrilled to win a My Country Business Award. It’s nice to be recognised for what we’ve been working away at.’

MIDGLEY GREEN, MIDGLEYGREEN.COM.