Our
Philosophy

“I have never felt as if I had to maintain a particular style or repeatedly use the same materials.
Over the years, influences have changed, materials have changed and we keep moving on experimenting and mixing it up…”

As a manufacturer, the company has an enviable reputation for quality craftsmanship and original design,but the decoration, detail and variety of unusual finishes keep each piece fresh. This is furniture with a personality. Must-have classics mix with new designs to look amazing in any contemporary space and equally at home alongside traditional pieces. It’s time to bring style to life.

The Story

Growing up in the New Forest, Julian was lucky enough to spend much of his childhood among beautiful things which inevitably led to his love and passion for antiques and fine art. In 1986 Julian Chichester left his job as a market trader in the City and went travelling through Asia with the idea of importing antiques.

“In Thailand in the early days it was very low-key and relaxed: I had a motorbike with a sidecar which transported individual antique pieces to the warehouse”.

Julian began selling his eclectic selection of furniture and decorative homeware (fourposter beds, teak sculptures and ikat silks) from a shop on the Portobello Road, London. Later, after noting a gap in the market, he started designing teak garden furniture himself, followed, in 1995, by his first interior collection of five pieces, all in Black with Gilt detail, which launched to great acclaim at Decorex in Chicago.

That was the look then!

Taking classical shapes from the 19th & 20th Century then  adding his own unique twist; transforming  motifs into something new and fresh and creating the unexpected by adding contemporary finishes and detail. The pieces are strong enough to hold their own in any interior, yet transitional enough to work in a diverse array of settings. Modern or traditional.

He adds around 30 to 40 new pieces each year, which are manufactured in factories in the UK and Vietnam. “I’ve worked with highly-skilled craftsmen in Vietnam for around 25 years and I consider myself lucky to do so.”

Julian’s eponymous business grew organically; today his furniture is loved and admired by the interior design community and is showcased in houses, apartments, hotels, spa’s, restaurants and cruise ships around the world. Brands including; Rocco Forte, Soho House, The Pigs, Wardorf Astoria and Marriott’s are to name a few.