About us
Our Story
My name is Henry Gardner, I have been a fine furniture designer and maker for over eight years. I started Edmund & Co. with the aim of working collaboratively with clients to design and make high quality bespoke pieces of fitted and free standing furniture, fit for the 21st Century. Our portfolio is varied in style, scale and subject; having worked on a wide range of projects from a decorative inlaid surfboard to fitted kitchens and most things in between. Take a look at our portfolio to see some examples of our work.
We are extremely passionate about working with timber and doing so in a sustainable manner. To achieve this, all of our timber is sourced locally from a sawmill in Sussex and, where possible, we source timber that is grown in the UK. However, for more exotic species, these may have to be imported from abroad. All of our timber, wherever it is grown, is sourced from sustainable forestry operations.
Our work is inspired by traditional methods of construction, enabling longevity of a piece through an understanding and appreciation of wood movement and the use of time-proven joints. Working this way, our pieces are designed to last a lifetime of being cherished by their owners. We use a hybrid method of working, combining hand tools, power tools and machinery. Hand tools let us fine tune the fit and finish of parts very precisely, whilst the power tools and machinery help speed up the bulk of the preparation work, enabling us to produce pieces in a timely manner. Many of our machines are hardy cast-iron pieces which have survived from the pattern-making industry of the 1950s and 1960s in the UK.
Our Process
We work using a four-step design process. From initial consultation through concept design, detailed design and finally construction. You can think of the process like a funnel; at each stage the design becomes more and more refined, narrowing in on a final solution. To find out more about each stage of the process and how it could guide your journey towards a bespoke piece of furniture, read our guide here.
Family History
You might be wondering, where the name Edmund & Co. comes from? Edmund is my middle name, and I come from a long line of Edmunds, my father and grandfather also share the middle name Edmund. The family name Edmund dates back to my six-times great grandfather, Edmund Gardner, born in 1721 in Liverpool. In 1748, at the age of 27, he began a business specialising in making block and tackle for the shipping industry in Liverpool.
This business was passed down through generations of the family, and evolved into a business that imported hardwood timber into Britain from around the World. The company went through several names as it passed from generation to generation, eventually trading as Joseph Gardner & Sons Ltd. It continued to operate until 2015 when the company closed down after 267 years, having remained in the family for almost 250 of those years through into the 1990s.
Coming full circle, 2015 is the same year that I started my journey into furniture-making and I would like to think that we employ some of that 200+ years worth of knowledge of timber when it comes to designing and making pieces today.