Our Philosophy
Inspired by tradition and craftsmanship to create timeless furniture.
Julian Chichester has an enviable international reputation for high quality manufacturing, a truly innovative approach to material usage and regularly introduces unusual finishes across its extensive range of designs.
Inspired by the craft of English furniture makers, influenced by mid-century designers, and informed by a life of travel and immersion in the arts, Julian Chichester has an admiration for innovation, which combine to give our designs a fresh contemporary contextualisation.
Our Journey
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... Julian Chichester
Travelling through Asia
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.”
At home on the Portobello Road
On his return to the UK, Julian set up shop on the Portobello Road, selling his eclectic selection of furniture and decorative homeware.
The brand is born
Julian soon noted a gap in the furniture market and, in 1989, started designing teak garden furniture himself. “There was a gap for quality Teak Garden Furniture in the UK, we had seen the materials and skills first hand in Vietnam…”
Heading inside
His first interior furniture followed in 1995 and the rest, they say, is history! Taking classical shapes from the 19th and 20th Centuries, then adding his own unique twist, his designs have become synonymous with creating the unexpected.
Learn more
Since 1989, we have developed a versatile business serving retail, trade, custom, and hospitality sectors. Our experienced Sales Team and in-house manufacturing are ready to assist.
For 35 years, Julian Chichester has pioneered innovative finishing techniques, blending distinctive finishes with designs inspired by past tastemakers to create uniquely crafted pieces.
Just as with fine tailoring, Julian Chichester offers to make its designs uniquely fit a customer’s individual personality, from upholstering a chair in their own fabric to finishing a cabinet in almost any paint colour of their choosing.