Our Philosophy

I started designing and making furniture as a boy. On occasions I also made the tools that I used to shape the wood. An idea to use only raw materials, a purity in the process. Making everything only by my hands.

Now many years later my furniture making has grown in scale. In 1982 I founded Northcroft which is now the largest furniture design and manufacture practice in London. Even though the company is larger, the ethos remains the same. The best materials, carefully chosen by me. Waste minimised. The thinking behind the designs to be based on tangible ideas and thought patterns.

Although Northcroft designs and makes for the latest generation of stars and entertainers, from the start we have been about designing for people. This encompasses all those that work with me; talent must be accompanied by dignity. Our suppliers are hand-chosen, and what they do for us is regularly discussed and inspected for quality and suitability.

Now that the company has grown, my son James has taken a lead role in all that we do. It broadens our breadth and ability to create. He brings his own enthusiasm and skills, alongside the talents of all our colleagues here. Such a privilege to be able to work with your own family.

Furniture design should be about aspirations. Many shapes and ideas in design have echoes of past thought patterns. The influences of the Bauhaus, Adolph Loos in post Habsburg Vienna and the great Le Corbusier have all influenced my work.

For me, the journey that started as a small boy working in wood in a shed at my parent’s home continues. All my furniture is made in our own workshops in the UK under the direct control of James Northcroft and myself. This ensures that my and James’s personal quality expectations are met.