BARBARA CHANDLER

Homes & Gardens’ design correspondent looks at where to find quality furniture that may well become a future classic

Of everything we buy for our home, it is perhaps furniture that most repays investment in quality,

far outliving high-end electrical appliances, fine carpets and luxury textiles.

One indicator of excellence is the furniture Design

Guild Mark (DGM), an annual award presented by the Worshipful Furniture Makers’ Company to recognise the best work in “volume production” from British designers, taking into consideration excellence in design, the use of materials, manufacture and function.

The scheme, for which I have been a judge since 2009, is in its ninth year, and to date 162 DGMS have been issued. This year, 19 were awarded, which you can see at furnituremakers.org.uk. The pieces included the lovely Flow chair in steam-bent beech by Tomoko Azumi for Ercol, ercol.com, and the colourful Core collection in powder-coated steel designed by Jo Wilton and Mirka Grohn for their company &New,

andnew.co.uk. Other notable designers winning 2016 DGMS included Max Lamb, Samuel Chan, David Irwin, Barber Osgerby, Sebastian Cox, Simon Pengelly and Matthew Hilton.

For quality one-off bespoke pieces, try the Celebration of Craftsmanship & Design show,

celebrationofcraftsmanship.com,

which runs from 20-29 August at Thirlestaine Long Gallery in Cheltenham. This year, around 70 artist/designer makers will be showing 300 pieces, ranging from plainer chairs and cabinets to fanciful fairytale tables, such as the Aeolian by Robert Scott, all of which may well become heirlooms of the future. Flow chair, £495, Tomoko Azumi for Ercol at Heal’s, heals.com. Mini Robot bedside table from the Core collection, £310, &New, andnew.co.uk.