Tom Schneider
The Designer
Across his extensive career Tom has designed everything from home furnishings and accessories, to fitted kitchens and one off bespoke commissions. He discusses his inspirations and what drives his design process:
I’m passionate about designing and making stunning furniture with elegant shapes and contemporary style that people get excited about.
From a young age I was always interested in designing and making things by hand using wood in my various creations. I loved how versatile and beautiful the material was and after training at the London College of Furniture I advanced my woodworking skills working as a carpenter and cabinetmaker.
At my first workshop I indulged my creativity by designing and crafting bespoke furniture and found that I was instinctively creating furniture that leaned to the curvaceous. As the company and production team grew I was able to focus on designing the most arresting curved furniture possible without losing functionality.
I have always designed freely without the limitations of manufacture in mind ensuring the essence of the design is never compromised. Challenging myself in this way has always been my driving force and I believe that taking risks with design maintains my creative integrity.
It is so important to get the shape and flow of the curves just right and I work closely with my team in every aspect of manufacture to create new methods, jigs and formers that can achieve the seemingly impossible. Being free of the constraints posed by mass production and machinery allows me to more easily create gorgeous furniture that stands the test of time as contemporary classics.
Taking a piece of furniture from initial sketch through to the final piece, including the challenges in between, means designing new furniture is as rewarding now as it has always been. I hope that you’ll find all you need in my collections and enjoy the furniture for many years once it is in your home.