About the workshop

New Design London is a small bespoke furniture workshop based in London. The work is one piece at a time, made to commission for clients across the UK and occasionally further. There is no off-the-shelf range; every piece is sized, finished, and upholstered for its specific home.

The three words on the wall

Three words sit on a small printed card pinned to the workshop wall. They are Quality. Design. Fairness. The workshop tries to live by all three, in that order of priority.

• Quality means the bones of a piece are built to last fifty years. Hardwood frames where it matters. Traditional joinery where it makes the piece stronger. Upholstery that can be re-covered without dismantling the frame.
• Design means a piece is right for the room it goes to. Proportions, palette, presence. The workshop does not impose a house style on clients; it works with the room and the client's eye.
• Fairness means quotes are honest, timelines are honest, and trade-offs are surfaced rather than hidden. If a piece costs more than the client expected, the workshop says so; if a shortcut is being offered, it's named.

How a commission works

1. Conversation. By phone, email, or a meeting at the workshop. We talk about the piece, the room, the timing, and roughly the budget.
2. Sketch and quote. Initial drawings, a written quote with the materials and timeline. Usually within a week of the first conversation.
3. Sign-off and deposit. Deposit secures a slot in the workshop calendar. Sign-off on materials, fabrics, finishes.
4. Build. Frame work first, upholstery and finishing after. Photographs at each stage if the client wants to follow along.
5. Delivery. Hand-delivery and installation across Greater London is included. National delivery quoted separately.

Materials

Frames are typically beech or oak for hardwood components, marine ply for upholstered carcases where stability matters. Upholstery foam is HR (high-resilience) grade; spring suspensions where the piece design calls for them. Fabric is sourced from established UK and European mills — full client choice within the standards we'll vouch for. The workshop will not upholster in fabrics that won't last the frame's lifetime; if a client really wants a delicate fabric, we'll honour that and warn them about it openly.

Lead times

Typical lead times from deposit:

• Single chair or footstool: 4 to 6 weeks.
• Sofa, bench, or bed frame: 6 to 10 weeks.
• Chaise longue or specialist piece: 8 to 12 weeks.
• Multi-piece room schemes: scheduled together; typically 10 to 14 weeks.

The workshop queue fills several weeks ahead during the autumn and spring. Summer and January tend to have slightly faster start dates.

What the workshop doesn't do

• Off-the-shelf furniture from a stock range. Everything is commissioned.
• Flat-pack or "knock-down" assemblies. The pieces leave the workshop fully built.
• Trade-only contract work for hotels or commercial fit-outs above a small scale. The workshop is one furniture maker, not a contract supplier.
• Repair work on existing furniture, unless it's a piece we made.

Contact

Email [email protected] with a sentence or two about the piece you're considering, the rough size of the room, and any references or images that help. We respond same working day where possible. The workshop is open to client visits by appointment.