Hugo Egleston

Hugo Egleston established his workshop in 1980 after training at the London College of Furniture, and then working for three years in the workshop of Sandy Mackilligin at Puttenham, Surrey.

The main influences on his furniture are the work of English 18th Century Cabinet makers, which he thinks has never been surpassed in this country, and the Arts and Crafts makers, especially Edward Barnsley. He believes the study of nature is very useful for the designer, although he seldom uses natural forms directly.

Timber

If the design and craftsmanship are of the best in a piece, so too should be its materials.

Much time and effort can be wasted hunting the finest materials. Yet wonderful timber is growing all around us, especially in Southern England. The ultimate renewable resource. Much of it goes to waste as its value is not recognised, and it can be too inaccessible and in too small a quantity to be of interest for the timber trade.

Over many years, Hugo has built up a superb stock from this resource, buying, converting and seasoning only the finest trees from within a 20 mile radius of the workshop so that the ideal timber for a piece is to hand and can be selected. The timber trade is very seldom able to offer wood from such trees, since it is always much more profitable to sell them on for converting into veneer.