About Us
Parlour is a workshop based design studio which offers authentic sustainable design and craftsmanship inspired by imagination. Parlour is a family run business. Our passion for furniture, homewares and interiors led to a desire to produce quality accessories and furniture which can be enjoyed by those who also love their homes and the products that grace them.
All of our products are designed and hand made in our workshop in the North East of England. Each product is quality checked before leaving the workshop to ensure that you receive a piece which can be enjoyed for many years to come. Minimising the environmental impact of a product is important to us. The design and making process at Parlour are thoroughly thought through to make our furniture and accessories as environmentally friendly as possible. Parlour endeavours to build relationships with likeminded businesses and promotes the use of regional support industries.
Parlour was originally set up in 2006 by Garry Smith, who studied cabinet making and wood machining at London Guildhall University. This was followed by BA (Hons) Furniture Design and Finecraftmanship at Buckingham and Chilterns University in High Wycombe, under the tuition of Hugh Scriven – designer maker. Garry recently won the Leeds Emerging Artist Award 2010 for his creativity and unique designs and has achieved press coverage for his work in London, Yorkshire and the North East.
Originally producing bespoke fitted and freestanding furniture, we have now developed the business to incorporate a small collection of home accessories and furniture. We are currently working hard to extend this range. You can keep an eye on our progress by following us on our Facebook page.
We love working with wood. It produces products which are natural, warm and tactile. We believe that one of the best qualities is that every piece is unique. We like to work with ash as it is not only beautiful but also plentiful and sustainable. We currently use both white and native ash. We also produce products made from maple, oak and walnut; three popular woods which we believe make beautiful end products.
We finish all of our accessories and furniture in non-solvent products, oil, wax and water based paints and lacquers, to avoid the harmful environmental effects of solvent-based finishes.
We hope that you enjoy our products and website and would love to hear what you think about them. We would also love to know what else you would like to see on our website. Please let us know by sending an email to parlourfurniture@gmail.com