Waterford Interiors create fine furniture made bespoke in the truest sense of the word, not as used by so many kitchen and bedroom companies, where ‘bespoke’ simply means pre-manufactured units cut to fit.
Waterford Interiors has a long and proud history of making stunning reproduction furniture and some of the world’s most beautiful furniture for one of the world’s most famous premium brands, but only three years ago did they take the step into working direct with the end-user of their glorious creations, rather than remaining purely a trade partner.
Director Jon Hubbard explains: ‘This company has hand-made wonderful reproduction antiques and made, from scratch, simply stunning furniture – both freestanding and fitted – for prestige homes across the world, but always via a middleman or third party. In 2014 we decided that with our wealth of knowledge and experience, not to mention the design talent we have here, it was time to move into retailing under our own name, and Waterford Interiors was born.
‘The meaning of the word bespoke has become somewhat diluted of late, sadly, but in its pure form bespoke design and manufacture is precisely what we do. We design, make and fit bespoke furniture for any and every room in the home; kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, the study, dining room, library, entrance hall… We offer every customer a truly individual design and manufacturing service, from occasional pieces to free-standing to fully fitted, from chests to beds to kitchens, wall panelling, dressing rooms – everything a prestige home could require.’
Talking to Jon is an interesting experience; this man is so proud of what Waterford Interiors can do and his passion for how they do it is so burningly clear that it’s no surprise to learn that his entire career has been spent working in prestige, luxury interior design and manufacture and that his understanding of what can and should be delivered informs everything they do.
‘It’s simple: bespoke is what we do. Quality should not be confused with luxury. A facade may present the appearance of luxury, but behind the facade is where the real quality becomes self evident. Every single thing is made here in our own factory in Bolton. We make every drawer, every door, every panel, pediment, pilaster…this gives us total control over the quality of every piece. Making each element that will all be assembled into the final piece, or room, means that it will fit absolutely precisely into the space it has been designed for.
‘It’s not just about the actual manufacture however; what I believe really makes us stand apart is our design skill and experience. Craftsmen can make fabulous, beautiful things – but they need to be led by someone who can see and understand the bigger picture, and that’s not just about looks, but about lifestyle – how it will all work when in the home and the pleasure it will deliver for its lifetime, which we plan will be decades long.
‘Every job we do we learn something, create something we’ve not done before. We’ve been working on a fabulous country house project near Edinburgh and have developed a stunning new form of roughened oak that looks superb. We’ve also developed a new range of handle-less doors, very contemporary, for a more modern look.
It’s clear that while Waterford Interiors really know their stuff when it comes to design and manufacture, what underpins it all is an unwavering focus on customer satisfaction. This is a trait common to every brand that deals daily with the demanding, knowledgeable, wealthy and is yet another proof that Waterford Interiors offers absolutely the full package.
‘Looking after our customers, whether these are interior designers, high end retailers or the homeowner themself, is vital to our sense of who we are. We do nothing without care and without thought. Customers are only every unhappy when their expectations are not being met, and at the level we work, expectations are very high. We don’t work to meet, but to always exceed expectations and to date that’s exactly what we’ve done. In all the time we’ve been doing this we’ve not had one piece returned to the factory, not one, because we do it right, first time.
‘We have our own team of installers working on our UK builds. They are all experienced cabinet makers and joiners and know that quality isn’t solely about how something looks, or feels, but how it fits into a space – with total precision.
‘We attract a lot of business from overseas; we’ve had some fabulous jobs in Russia, the United States and Australia, for example. In these situations I will go over myself and train the installers, to make sure it’s done the way we want it done.’
Fascinatingly, for a company operating from Bolton, very little of the commissions Waterford Interiors receive come from this part of the world, a fact Jon wants to change.
‘So much of our work comes from word of mouth,’ he says. ‘Or via contacts of mine I have built up over the last two decades, that we’ve been busy working non-stop but mostly hundreds of miles away – even thousands! We find that we take on a commission for a home in Mayfair, for example, and that homeowner then asks us to work on another property in Scotland, or Portugal, or Russia, or Dubai… I think it’s time we brought our work a little closer to home!
‘Working direct with the homeowner gives you a sense of satisfaction you don’t get when you’ve been commissioned by an interior designer or via a third party retailer. Creating something so beautiful, with such longevity, is a wonderful thing and it’s even better when you can see the results for yourself not only in the home, but in the face of the homeowner and hear them tell you how happy they are.
‘We may not have the glamour of a famous name brand, but what we deliver will exceed every expectation – put simply, we offer the very best service, design talent and quality you can imagine.
‘What we deliver is timeless, classic design that simply doesn’t date. And it’s built to last, truly bespoke.’
www.waterfordinteriors.com | 01204 578752 | sales@waterfordinteriors.com
