Charlie Caffyn

Furniture for the generations

• Charlie designs and makes furniture with architectural influences
• Each piece can be personalised to make it one-of-a-kind
• The doors to his Wiltshire workshop are always open to visitors

With over 25 years’ experience in both mass-production and made-to-order furniture, Charlie Caffyn was drawn back to the traditional roots of furniture making. Since 2005, he has been designing and hand-making bespoke pieces for customers out of solid wood. Standing up for the traditional craftsmanship values of handcrafted, timeless wooden furniture that lasts generations, he makes each piece of furniture by hand from his original designs. “I live and work in a very rural town,” explains Charlie, “surrounded by amazing countryside, walks and woodlands. I think if you are a craftsman you tend to have an affinity with nature, and all its creations and wonders. The real magic is creating something that never existed before, which becomes a beautiful, functional, well-crafted object made from natural sustainable materials.”

Interview

© Jesper Mattias

© Jesper Mattias

Why did you choose to become a furniture maker?

I didn’t really choose it, it just developed naturally as I went through school. Luckily I was never forced into a direction I didn’t want to go, so I think I was always going in the direction of being a designer maker.

What are your specialisations?

I am obsessed with jigs. A jig in itself can be a thing of beauty, as well as being functional they are also mini feats of engineering, true examples of form that follows function. As I tend to make repeat orders for my designs, the jigs are essential to my work and quality.

How do you express tradition and innovation?

The tradition comes into my work from the respect and love I have for solid wood and proper craftsmanship. Innovation comes from my love of design and passion to create something new, something better, something that lasts.

Is your craft in danger?

At the moment there is a nice wave of furniture makers out there, getting noticed thanks to social media and the internet. Also, the current zeitgeist for people looking beyond mass-produced disposable furniture to well-crafted, generational pieces of furniture is providing a healthy customer base.

Charlie Caffyn is an : he began his career in 1995

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