Country Life magazine has listed Artichoke among the best craftspeople in Britain as part of its annual Country Life Top 100 Country House specialists review. This is the second year Artichoke has been listed.
We are in illustrious company. Also included in this year’s list are ADAM Architecture, Craig Hamilton Architects and Joanna Wood Interior Design, plus many other professionals we have worked alongside with our clients over the last 25 years.
Country Life magazine is a magazine perfectly aligned with Artichoke’s focus on creating heritage through sympathetic joinery design. The title has deep connections to Sir Edwin Lutyens, an architect we admire greatly having worked on several of his houses. It also is one of the few magazines with a focus solely on English country house architecture, interiors and rural country pursuits.
The full Country Life Top 100 list can be reviewed here.
To see some of the stunning work we have completed please click here.
Tim Hellier joined Artichoke as Installations Manager 12 years ago, and was responsible for the successful completion of every Artichoke project until his promotion to Managing Director in 2018. Prior to joining Artichoke, Tim worked as a respected furniture designer and cabinet maker.
Before discovering his love of furniture, Tim held a passion for photography and was trained by Peter Parks, one of the UK’s original natural history programme makers. During his film making career, Tim worked with the marine natural history company, Image Quest, where he worked with David Attenborough on the Blue Planet series – filming the marine and coral footage.
Tim is also a trained pilot, gaining his licence following the RAF flying scholarship he was awarded when he was 17.
Tim midway through the Yukon River Challenge in 2017. He came second in his class
Tim is also a keen rower and was Captain of rowing at Radley College. In 2017 he entered the gruelling Yukon River Challenge in Canada, a 3 day race over 440 miles between White Horse and Dawson. Tim came second in his category, raising over £7,000 for The British Heart Foundation, Artichoke’s chosen charity.
For more information on the range of project management services we offer, from design, installation and finish, please click here.
26 years seems like a long time to wait before creating your first advertising campaign. Ironically, we’re busier than ever. So why now?
As we’ve matured, we’ve gained greater understanding of what sets us apart. Subconsciously we’ve always known, but it’s not been expressed until now. To use marketing jargon, it’s about positioning.
Put simply, we design rooms which look as if they were always meant to be there and we then make them to ensure they always will be. With each new project we are motivated by the opportunity to improve how clients live in their houses. We are also motivated by legacy, and with every project we aim to create Britain’s future heritage.
Initial concept sketches presented by John Heywood (Art Director)
Among the Art Director’s initial sketches were this set of striking images (above) designed to illustrate that Artichoke is not simply a designer of kitchens, a skill we’d become well known for. We are a company which uses architectural expertise, joinery design, interior design and a deep understanding for household life to create beautiful and practical spaces which add value to our client’s houses for many generations.
The initial pencil sketch for ‘Georgian House. Family Home’
Matthew Cook water colouring the ‘Jacobean House, Family Home’ creative.
Bringing the Art Director’s creative idea to life required a delicate touch. Matthew Cook is one of the UK’s greatest reportage artists with a wonderful ability to observe real life. And it’s real life which Artichoke deals with daily. The design decisions we make for our clients, and the quality of our craftsmanship, directly affects how they and their families live in their homes for many generations.
The first ad completed
Matthew is not only a professional illustrator but also an experienced soldier having undertaken two tours of Afghanistan as a corporal with the Parachute Regiment in the TA. His work has been commissioned widely in publications such as Country Life, The Spectator and The Times, and we are delighted he agreed to illustrate our advertising. You can see more of Matthew Cook’s work oh his website.
The beautifully written copy was written by Toby Ingram of Scarlett.
To see some of the stunning work we have completed please click here.
Bruce Hodgson is Founder and Creative Director of Artichoke. Artichoke is known for designing beautiful bespoke furniture, and architectural joinery for English country houses.
Established in 1993, Artichoke has worked hard to secure a high reputation among clients, and within the British design world. The company is renowned for its meticulous attention to detail and an un-compromising approach to quality.
In particular the company has gained a reputation for designing elegant family kitchens for country homes, and well considered back of house joinery such as Butler’s pantries, boot rooms and sculleries. Bruce and his team draw upon their extensive knowledge, and vast database of classical and period detail to produce truly exceptional designs. Bruce is passionate about his work and he and his team take huge pride in their ability to really understand how their clients live and use the spaces being designed.
All of Bruce’s designs are made in Artichoke’s own workshops in Somerset, England.
To see some of the stunning work we have completed please click here.
Creating long term heritage in buildings is not something that just happens. It needs incredible skill, the best tools, a desire to achieve it and a great environment to achieve it in.
As we have grown and developed as a company we have continually invested in our team, our equipment and our environment. The biggest investment we have made so far is in our workshop. The 14,000 square foot building was opened in 2015 following three years of detailed planning and architectural design. We designed them ourselves specifically for the creation of rooms that will will form an integral part of our long term architectural heritage. We are proud that six years on they are still considered the best cabinet making works in the country.
By investing our resources in a cabinet-making workshop of this standard we are able to produce work of unmatched quality for our clients at the best possible value.
Our 4 axis CNC machine allows us to speed up accuracy, allowing us to add further detail into our work at no additional cost to our clients.
We are fiercely proud of our workshop, which includes:
An insulation, heating and humidity system designed specifically to mimic a domestic environment. This allows the hardwoods we use to stabilise during storage and making, meaning minimum movement when it arrives on site as a kitchen or library.
An industrial grade high quality lighting system that automatically reacts with the ambient light outside, ensuring an even and constant light within the workshop throughout the day. This helps polishing teams and cabinet makers really view their work closely and it ensures that even the slightest embellishments don’t go un-noticed.
Industrial grade downdraft sanding benches which ensure minimal dust build up during sanding. This facilitates a perfectly even and smooth surface on which to apply finishes such as stains, waxes and paints.
Clean-room grade finishing booths which ensure a dust free environment when applying period finishes and French polishes to finished furniture. These rooms are also environmentally controlled to ensure the best possible environment for curing fine finishes.
Rob mixing lacquer by hand.
Chris in our polishing shop applies French polish to a six panel raised and fielded panel door.
Jason clamping an oak frame.
Tim and Andrzej inspecting a hide for inclusions before cutting.
We encourage our clients to visit us as it is really the best way for them to understand what we’re able to achieve for them.
To arrange a visit please give us a call on 01934 745270
