Sean Evelegh - Fine Furniture

Sean Evelegh and his brother Daniel make bespoke furniture from their workshop in the Kent countryside. Combining traditional hand techniques with modern machinery to produce pieces built, not only as functional pieces, but as pieces of art.

We specialise in one-off, unique pieces of furniture. We strive to design and make pieces that are timeless, elegant and will last a lifetime. Taking on only select projects, we pour vast amounts of time and effort into every piece we make. 

We’re based in the heart of the beautiful Kent countryside; it’s a tranquil place, very quiet and undisturbed. During the summer months, we have double doors that open into a garden which makes you feel a close connection to the outside world and nature. 

We like to keep the workshop as tidy as possible so that our creativity isn’t hindered and flows. Every tool and machine has its place, and we’ll use a combination of modern machinery and traditional hand tools to bring our designs to life.

We do not follow any set routine and the only constants we have day-to-day are when we need a break from woodworking, we will be playing either darts or table tennis. 

We typically start our day around 8, sitting down with a coffee to plan what we want to get done that day. We split our time: Sean primarily does woodworking, and Dan does about 50/50 woodworking and office tasks. 

Some days we spend sketching and planning future projects, and we enjoy meeting with our clients for design sessions. Other days we spend searching high and low for amazing materials, as we find design inspiration often comes straight from the wood. We normally leave the workshop around 6 and if the sun is shining, we’d head into town for a game of tennis or a pint. 

There will always be something on in the workshop. We like a combination of podcasts and music. If we’re doing a spell of working without machines, we can put a podcast on, however, if machines are being used, it has to be music. The music really varies depending on the day of the week and what we’re working on. If it is a repetitive task like preparing timber, then maybe some 80s classics to keep the energy high, but if we are doing delicate, intricate work, we’d put on some jazz or classical to keep focused! 

If you’re a fan of comedy, I’d definitely recommend listening to ‘Hamish and Andy’ from Australia. It is a hilarious podcast and so much fun to listen to. 

I had an inspirational teacher called Mr. Norman at school who really went out of his way to help me develop my skills and be the best woodworker I could be. He would open up the workshop for me during lunch breaks and after school when he really didn’t have to, and he encouraged me to pursue woodworking as a career. I’m eternally grateful to him! 

We intentionally do not make only one style of furniture as we think this can be restrictive. There’s a lot of fun in designing and making in different styles, whether it's a classical Longcase clock, a Scandinavian chair and bench, or even a traditional mahogany pedestal side table. We love the variety that this approach gives us and it also gives our clients more freedom when commissioning from us, as they don’t need to go down a specific route. 

I love my Lie Nelson No.4 bronze smoothing plane. It’s made from solid bronze and it’s a joy to use. If the workshop was burning down and I could only save one thing, it would without doubt be that! 

We are passionate believers in the Thomas Chippendale quote: ‘the unseen parts of furniture are as important as the seen’. This is the guiding philosophy and principle behind our furniture, and by following this we can be confident that our clients are getting the best possible piece of furniture. There will have been no shortcuts taken, and everywhere, even if unseen and unnoticed, has had the same amount of care and attention poured into it. 

Learn more about Sean Evelegh

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