Studio Zephyr

Studio Zephyr Furniture design and making - London

29/03/2026

This is where it all starts...
…and where it can all go wrong.

The raw sounds of marking up, setting out and second guessing every line before a single cut is made 😵‍💫 I’m currently back in this phase again on a current build of an upholstered hallway bench.

These clips are from three different pieces over the past year, all finished and out in the world.

It’s not the most exciting part of the process… but it’s the one that decides everything.

Every mortise, every tenon, every joint only work if this stage is spot on.

Part of the craft, part of the process.
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22/03/2026

I MESSED THIS UP.
…not massively, but enough to matter.

Flush trimming the tapered legs for this solid ash hallway bench and got a bit too gung-ho with the palm router. Went against the grain, took off too much in one pass and a chunk pinged off causing some gnarly breakout.

Machining against the grain is sometimes unavoidable, but this is where patience comes above ego. Smaller passes, sharper bit, better judgement. Just me rushing the process.

Router table’s out of action hence why I’m on the palm router 😬
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Onto the joinery stage… marking up mortise and tenon joints.Not the quickest part of making solid wood furniture but def...
11/03/2026

Onto the joinery stage… marking up mortise and tenon joints.

Not the quickest part of making solid wood furniture but definitely one of the most meticulous stages, accuracy here is everything. Every shoulder line, every mortise position, every tenon thickness marked on the timber before heading anywhere near the machines.

Slow and tedious at times, but precise marking out always leads on to the fun part. Clean mortises on the morticer and tenons cut true on the bandsaw.

Traditional joinery is what gives bespoke solid wood furniture its strength and longevity. Sharp pencils, marking gauges and patience.

The Studio Zephyr hallway bench is taking shape.
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The Pokhara Meditation Stool 🧘🏻Crafted from solid English oak, originating from a tree that fell during a storm in Lever...
08/03/2026

The Pokhara Meditation Stool 🧘🏻

Crafted from solid English oak, originating from a tree that fell during a storm in Leverstock Green in the 1970s. A few years ago, a client generously gifted me the original oak floorboards made from that tree.

Once I got some bespoke shelves out of them, there wasn’t much material left so accurate marking out was key. Super pleased I got the grain popping in every angle.

Solid walnut dowel stretchers finish the piece, tying it neatly back to the Hanoi Coffee Table.
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CAD drawings translated into a full scale rod - scaling the furniture design up properly before committing to the solid ...
04/03/2026

CAD drawings translated into a full scale rod - scaling the furniture design up properly before committing to the solid timber. Digital technical design meets traditional joinery, refining proportions and getting the dimensions spot on for high quality, handmade furniture.

Rod drawn.
Components marked directly onto the solid wood.
Angles set, marked up and cut to rough shape before the final pattern cutting on the router table.

From concept, to CAD, to rod, to workshop floor.
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Onto the next… finding piece in selecting the grain on this solid ash, making sure everything runs through and joins tog...
19/02/2026

Onto the next… finding piece in selecting the grain on this solid ash, making sure everything runs through and joins together seamlessly.

Components cut, ripped, marked up and ready for thicknessing.

I’m getting used to the new space now, it’s pretty rad being back working on the machines and taking it right back to the beginning of how I got to where I am today.

Groovy little solid ash upholstered hallway bench on the way 👀
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Timber stock on the move… I’m shifting on from my garage set up at the rents, it’s been difficult to find the time to tr...
29/12/2025

Timber stock on the move… I’m shifting on from my garage set up at the rents, it’s been difficult to find the time to travel back to the Hertfordshire homeland this year and explore where I want to take Zephyr.

This combined with the garage space being shared with car maintenance bits, bikes, family heirlooms, golf clubs and a resident tumble dryer mean it’s time to move on.

Luckily I’ve found a workshop space just down the road from where I’m based in SW London to carry on making the never ending ideas in my head.

It’s bittersweet this move - I started my first venture here 8 years ago making fitted furniture full time - many long days, evenings and weekends were spent in here making mistakes and figuring out what I wanted to focus on.

This is the song I imagine playing in the workshop when I’m not there — calming still tones, always waiting for me to pi...
23/07/2025

This is the song I imagine playing in the workshop when I’m not there — calming still tones, always waiting for me to pick things back up.

Finding the time to actually get in and make furniture isn’t always easy with living in SW London and the workshop being back in the Hertfordshire homeland.

(Plz ignore the fact that I don’t wear the apron in any of my videos…)
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Easily one of my favourite pastimes — checking out every piece of furniture I come across. Always hunting for inspiratio...
09/07/2025

Easily one of my favourite pastimes — checking out every piece of furniture I come across. Always hunting for inspiration, techniques and clever use of materials.

Spotted this one at the end of Columbia Road, a pocket of London that always draws me in.
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The Hanoi in still mode — soaking in those subtle but imposing shadows cast by the fluorescent workshop light 😅Inspired ...
07/07/2025

The Hanoi in still mode — soaking in those subtle but imposing shadows cast by the fluorescent workshop light 😅

Inspired by Vietnamese tea culture, built from solid walnut with Japanese inspired lines and joinery.
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Hertfordshire

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