At LINLEY, we look to the past for traditional enduring skills of craftsmanship and fuse these with innovative modern designs and techniques thereby attaining the highest standards possible in all of our products. Our design studio (located above the Pimlico Road shop) produces over 700 unique designs a year.

Each piece of LINLEY furniture is made in the UK using the most sophisticated techniques of craftsmanship in workshops carefully selected by Linley. The level of intricacy and detail involved means that each unique piece can take months to make.

Choice of wood

Our expertise lies in creating beautiful items constructed from wood, although we do also work with other materials. Choice of timber is key to the construction and appearance of the piece. We tend to work with hardwoods such as oak, sycamore and walnut, however we also work with a variety of different veneers ranging from Macassar ebony to Swiss pear and satinwood. All timber we use is FSC certified.

Marquetry inlay

In essence, this is as close as you can get to painting in wood. It is a labour intensive and meticulous discipline, whereby paper thin veneers are cut to a design and pieced together before being applied to a solid base. These can be cut by hand for a cruder effect, or laser cut to achieve minute detail.

Secret drawers

Secret drawers are one of the most challenging features to include in a piece of furniture. A feat of engineering as much as woodworking, the complexity of the mechanisms of a secret drawer – whether push catch, a spring release or a secret recess – tests even the most talented of craftsmen and adds an element of surprise and romance to a piece.

Dovetails

A hallmark of fine cabinet-making, a dovetail joint is formed by small, wedge-shaped, interlocking tenons which epitomise fine craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Dentils

Many items feature these small rectangular block embellishments derived from classical architecture and often used as part of a frieze on furniture. The precision of these requires hand-carving using a carving chisel.

Turning

This is the craft of shaping wood on a lathe to create even, circular forms and patterns, which is particularly good for highlighting decorative grain.

Carving

No machine will beat the precision and intricacy of hand-carving and it is very time intensive. A small detail on an architectural box such as a Corinthian column can take as long as three and a half hours to carve and up to twenty different tools might be needed to create such fine detail.