ALLAN J GRAY

I’m interested in designing and building quality furniture using, where possible solid hard and soft woods. Most of what I make is constructed in a traditional manner and should last for generations. I can design and make fitted and freestanding furniture for kitchens, bedroom, bathroom, dining room and study. Furniture projects are bespoke and made to order in line with clients’ instructions. Close liaison between maker and customer ensures satisfaction. Wooden surfaces have an aesthetic unique appearance, warm to touch and pleasing to the eye, texture and depth of finish can enhance structural details. For hundreds of years these qualities have been appreciated, which is why it’s important, this valuable resource is not squandered. To this end the materials I use are supplied as much as possible from sustainable sources.

I started restoring antique furniture in 1972 when I left school and began a five-year apprenticeship. For much of the time since then I’ve remained involved, either full time, or intermittently whilst engaged in other areas of woodworking. One of the most satisfying things I can do is to return a much-loved piece of furniture to its owner after bringing it back to an earlier and better condition. I am experienced in most aspects of the restoration but where one trade overlaps another I can draw on the skills of other craftspeople that specialise in for example, upholstery, caning, or textiles. Following my apprenticeship I became self-employed and ran my own business for the next twelve years. The work developed into a number of complimentary branches: • Antique restoration and refinishing; • Contemporary and reproduction furniture making; • Architectural joinery to contractors refurbishing Georgian and Victorian buildings, e.g dado rails, box sash windows, doors etc. • 1:3 scale miniatures of antiques commissioned for dealers in the USA and England. In 1990 my family and I moved to Scotland where we lived on a six-acre croft in the Outer Hebrides. From my home based workshop I specialised in making bespoke furniture, mainly tables and fitted cabinets, and wood turning items for the tourist trade. I was also commissioned to do second fix and architectural joinery. In February of 2007 we moved back to Bristol. Since then I have been employed by various cabinet making and joinery companies in and around Bristol. I recently decided to start my own business and have moved into workshops near the city