Made in Britain
The upholstered furniture maker
In the 1960s, when Brutalist architecture was the latest thing and mass manufacture was transforming the high street, Janus Cooper’s father had an idea that might have seemed counterintuitive at the time: together with three business partners, the Lancashire-based businessman decided to employ local talent and materials to establish a high-end furniture workshop using traditional craftsmanship.
In the early days, Tetrad—the name was adopted to reflect the four founders’ collective input—started well by selling futuristic designs such as the nucleus chair to Heal’s. Today, the business has passed to a new generation, but it remains true to its origins, constructing furniture frames in the traditional way and eschewing any new fads.
Of all of Tetrad’s classic English designs, the Chesterfield is perhaps the best known. Every piece is made to order, largely using fabrics woven throughout the north of England and Scotland, and upholstered on-site (a buttoned Chesterfield can take 35 hours to produce).
Four years ago, the firm established a relationship with Harris Tweed, a fabric that, since 1993, has been protected by an Act of Parliament to ensure only the cloth that has been handwoven, dyed, spun and finished in the Outer Hebrides carries the name. ‘About a third of our orders now are for the Harris Tweed collection,’ explains Janus, who has worked for the firm for more than 27 years, having started his career as a trainee at John Lewis before a spell in a contract-furniture firm in new York. ‘We try to use as much locally sourced material as possible. Another focus is leather furniture, in which we use English hides that are tanned in Italy.’
The collection comprises chairs, sofas and stools, all of which have air-dried beech frames.
‘For nearly 50 years, we’ve been championing skilled craftsmanship and using the best materials to ensure our pieces last a lifetime,’ adds Janus. Arabella Youens Tetrad (01772 792936; www.tetrad.co.uk)