Craftsmanship
Craftsmanship is central to our work. We are craftsmen first and foremost, and connected through our passion for traditional skills to all generations of craftsmen designers and makers.
In contrast to the world of mass-production we still use the techniques and materials typical of the 18th and 19th centuries. We work by hand, often using antique materials and tools passed down through generations.
We like to think of craftsmanship also as a language. It is through our combined knowledge, experience and skills that we are able to express the beauty of design, of construction and of the great variety of materials we employ.
Woodworking
The eye is probably the most important part of any craftsman making furniture. Since every piece of wood is individual, it is how well you assess each piece of timber and choose to employ it in your work that determines its success. Indeed, the wood very often leads choices in design as well as construction.
The eye also directs the hand. And every piece of furniture we make is made by hand. Hand tools, many of them antique or of traditional design, are used to cut, shape, gouge, turn or carve the wood, persuading it to the requirements of the design.
Veneers
Not all veneers are equal to the needs of our workshop. They must be chosen to suit
a variety of applications since often they are among the most prominent parts of a completed work, adding a richness beyond the physical design idea.
We carefully select collections of veneers for their colour, figuring, depth and overall quality. Holding a large stock of rare and much sought after wood veneers, we are able to execute designs with the most beautiful veneers greatly enhancing the finished piece.
Marquetry
The craftsman’s skill in marquetry is the equal to the artist. At George Bensley it is a highly regarded skill, requiring dedication and patience as well as imagination and artistic flair.
To take a design and realise it in complementary and contrasting wood veneers is something that can only be learned through years of study and practice. Care at every step in producing every work piece is essential if the result is to dazzle as it is always intended to do.
Painting
Detailing on many of the pieces in our collections is delicately hand painted. It is an example of the meticulous attention to finishing that is typical of George Bensley work.
Every vein of every leaf on every stem of every flower is inked in by brush in our studio. Similar care is shown to larger blocks of colour adding variety and texture as well as individuality to the finished work.
Casting
You will see throughout this catalogue that many of our larger pieces are raised on brass feet with castors, most drawers and doors have brass handles, there are inset escutcheons to key holes, and many other cast details embellish the designs.
These applied brass elements are all designed and cast in house using centuries old sand casting techniques to produce the accuracy and quality that is equal to the best made in 18th century foundries.
Assembly
Attention to the finish of a piece is pointless if it is not perfectly constructed, solidly built, and every joint cut and fitted with precision.
Unlike production line techniques, craftsmanship entails individuals assembling every element as if it were a one-off. Each component is built up into sections and each assembly fitted to its neighbour or to the whole piece. Only when the craftsman’s eye is satisfied that the construction is perfect is it finally fixed.
Upholstery
A craft to equal cabinet making, upholstery is unfairly less celebrated, perhaps because so much of the skill needed to make it effective is hidden from view.
Beneath the covering fabric, which by its design may be either subtle to emphasise the surrounding woodwork, or strident to command attention on its own, lies many hours of skilled hand work. It is in that unseen work that the structure is created on which the perfect lay of the fabric and the comfort and durability of the finished piece depends. In all our upholstered pieces there is substantial room for personal expression through fabric choices.
Polishing
Our craftsmanship
We are craftsmen first and foremost, and connected through our passion for traditional skills to all generations of craftsmen designers and makers.
Our collections
Inspired by the golden age, George Bensley collections are leading the trend for mixing heritage and traditional design and materials in contemporary settings.
Our showrooms
With three luxurious showrooms opening in Ho Chi Minh, Seoul and Hong Kong you’ll now be able to touch and admire the stunning beauty of our current collections.
Interior design
Our bespoke design service will guide you in selecting individual key pieces to emphasise your interior, or whole room sets to make a more emphatic statement.
