GRIP Organisational

It takes two to tango and strip the willow goes better with twelve.  A big project is like a massive New Year’s ball just before midnight with two hundred people going flat out at the eightsome, wired up to their partners, foot hard on the throttle, max speed and precision & don’t get flattened by the drunken slob opposite. When it goes well it is exhilarating.  It is also a delicate & unstable equilibrium that can fall over without warning The way to survive this potential chaos is to know where you are and what your options are at any …

The Renzo Piano retrospective at the Royal Academy

A master of his craft. It finishes in a week or so and I doubt I’ll see it’s like again. I wish I had gone earlier. The models and drawings are lovely, plus It sums up so many of the essential truths about architecture. Firstly, the powerful underlining of the technical and craft skills involved in making these amazing, truly bespoke structures and of the subtle interactions between architect and maker, between his vision and the makers capabilities. But, secondly, you are privileged to watch that sublime magic where a pure metal construction takes form in the mind of a …

Look before you leap…

We have just over 6kgs of sirloin to roast. On the bone. It looks massive, specially cut to fit the width of the oven, & sitting on the cut face of the bone so that the meat rears out of the pan like the stump of a wall from the ruins. How long to cook? it’s been two hours out of the larder, so not like putting an ice lolly in the oven. Even though it’s massive, it’s cross section is relatively slight and the meat is divided by a continuous blade bone. It’s time for O level physics. The …

In praise of level playing fields

Biological systems are complicated, often unpredictable, as are organisational ones. The Guardian reports a study from Sweden showing there is greater risk than previously thought of tipping points in biological systems being breached, because apparently separate events are often linked. Obvious when you think about it. My relentlessly SME (small manufacturing enterprise) focused brain jumps immediately to the theory of constraints and it’s preoccupation with identifying the primary constraint in any particular system. Like so much scientific endeavour, we tend to look for a single cause when in truth it is almost always a group of causes that needs to …

IN PRAISE OF addressing the real issue

We use a great big complicated German Biomass boiler for our heating. It runs on pellets which need to be just right to work properly. We just had a delivery that is completely unusable. Even in the lorry you can see the high proportion of dust and broken pellets. We take the delivery and God help us by the next morning the boiler has stopped. The sensors are coated with dust. I complain and from their MD arrives a copy of the certificate issued at the port of embarkation which proves that the pellets are perfect. So, it is not …

IN PRAISE OF 3D COMPUTER MODELLING

A 3-D model delivers truth. You the designer, you the maker, you the client, can all see immediately what it is that will be made. The elevations will be laid out accurately and the sections, in whatever plane and in however complicated a piece, will always be ……truthful. This is of enormous value in the making of prototypes, artworks and individual bespoke items. It de-risks them and the more complex they are the greater the de-risking is required. We all know rubbish in = rubbish out. The same applies, truth in = truth out. @William Garvey Furniture Makers, we only …

A total transformation for a six-storey Notting Hill townhouse

The kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms were all over-hauled in this impressive London property It’s not every day that a six-floor Notting Hill townhouse needs to be redesigned. The project saw the William Garvey team collaborate with leading architects Brian Ma Siy and ABA International Architects to make-over the property from top-to-toe, with everything from the master bedroom to the staff quarters given a fresh new look. The project in a nutshell Who lives here? A family with live-in staff The style: Modern and minimalist, with a family-friendly twist Architects: Brian Ma Siy and ABA International Architects Photography: Recent Spaces The …

Wood furniture helps relieve stress!

Did you know that wood is said to have positive effects on the emotional state of people? For example, wooden interiors are reported to promote: • Improvements to your emotional state and self-expression • Reduction in your stress levels • Decrease in high blood pressure and heart rate • Better air quality by controlling humidity • Helps to combat climate change Bringing you closer to nature, the effects of wooden rooms and furnishings really show that “wood is good”. You can also improve wellbeing through a selection of ergonomic furniture and accessories that offer you added comfort and posture support. …

Bespoke Designer Kitchens

Excellent communication is the key for producing bespoke kitchens

The William Garvey team have completed many stunning kitchens over the last 40+ years but this kitchen installation at a house in Berkshire has really set the bar high. Working closely with Lisa Mitchell at the Interior Style Studio, the end result shows the quality and finish that you would expect from a furniture company with over 40 years of experience, making and installing beautiful freestanding and fitted furniture. The concept design for the curved kitchen was by SplinterWorks, and employed detailed design development by WG with extensive use of William Garvey’s CNC machine to create the flowing curves, and challenged …

The height of luxury entertainment – literally!

Our client had recently been travelling on business to the far east and really appreciated the Airbus A380 business class in-flight bar, so much so that he decided that he would like one in his own home. William Garvey were asked to design this curved, leather wrapped, bronzed stripped bar to be the height of luxury entertainment, if not at 40,000 feet, then certainly at sea level. The semi circular walnut counter topped kitchen bar is nearly 3 metres long with a bar flap and back cabinet end panels all leather wrapped.  The veneered flap matches the countertop which is …