HAND-CRAFTED FURNITURE
SPORTS and music superstars often discover their talent early on in life and world-class British furniture designer and maker Alex MacMaster was no different. He had his first school woodwork lesson at the age of 10 and was instantly hooked. “I fell in love with the subject at that age. I could not get enough of it at school so I set up my own workshop at my parents’ house, making garden objects like bird boxes and planters,” he explains
Recognising her son’s talent, his mother brought him to the attention of John Makepeace, a key figure in the world of British bespoke furniture, and John became a guide and mentor.
Alex, 34, set up his own business in 2009 specialising in the design and production of timber-based lighting and wood furniture, driven by a pursuit of absolute excellence in design and craftsmanship.
The style is “traditional meets modern” with state of the art technology used side by side with 1970sWadkins and Sedgewick cast iron machinery which has been lovingly restored to its former glory.The father-of-one designs for maximum output and minimum waste using handpicked sustainably-grown natural timbers with some products using leftover products from other ranges, demonstrating a keen ecological awareness. He now employs two full-time makers and a further three part-time staff (including one maker).
The products, whilst technically challenging, are hand-produced using exacting techniques learnt and adapted from the world’s finest traditional craftsmen and bespoke wood furniture makers.Alex says: “Furniture should be as much an artistic statement as it is functional. I design to make a visual impact, to stimulate the imagination and to have an elegance that gives timeless appeal.”
Now with a small team of highly-skilled craftsmen, his designs are sold all around the world, from America to Australia, but the company remains proudly British with every piece designed, made and packaged under the same roof at the MacMaster workshop located in theWorcestershire countryside.
Visit macmasterdesign.com for more information