About Us
The company was established in Bristol by Nick Crossling in 2004. Originally apprenticed in precision engineering, Nick went on to hone his skills in that discipline until deciding to follow his family’s trade and become a cabinet maker. Combining detailed engineering design skills with a natural eye for interiors, Nick has built a reputation for producing fine interior cabinetry.
Now partnered with Amy Beck with her design background and meticulous hand finishing skills, we put all of our experience and passion for interior design and woodwork into each project, guaranteeing satisfaction when the work is complete. We are professional, reliable, scrupulous in attention to detail and pride ourselves on our relationships with our clients. In a friendly and open manner we work hard to understand your vision and develop your ideas, offering any guidance when required and ensuring the final piece will fit seamlessly into your home.
Craftmanship
All of our work is made to the highest standards using only quality materials. We have eighteen years of experience building the very best cupboards, bookcases and wardrobes, paying the closest attention to detail and utilising a wide variety of skills and knowledge. We delight in finding inspirational solutions to challenging problems using all our acquired knowledge in materials, design and manufacturing techniques. Our well equipped cabinet making workshop in Fishponds provides us with all our wood processing machinery, wood store, dedicated paint room, design studio and bench space. It is here that we can bring designs to life with care and consideration, making your ideas a reality.
Materials
We are very careful about our choice of materials and where they come from. For traditional work we use tulip wood which is ideal for the frames and doors and perfect for a hand painted finish. The rough sawn material is machined to a precise 27mm, a good sturdy thickness for our cupboard doors. If we’re making wardrobe doors we step up to 32mm.
Our doors are set in face frames with a perfect 2mm gap all round and hung on traditional brass butt hinges. We think this type of hinge is crucial to the style and look of traditional shaker cupboards. They are more durable than concealed hinges and also have the advantage of opening right out 180 degrees.
We use Austrian manufactured drawer runners made by Blum. They are ultra smooth, extend fully and have a soft close mechanism with a push to open option if desired. The runners are strong, being able to take considerable weight and are fully adjustable to make the fitting absolutely perfect. They are a pleasure to use, never fail and are suitable for large, small and wide drawers.
All our cupboards and wardrobes have an interior carcass. A range of solid wood veneers are on offer from oak to ash, walnut to maple. Any internal shelves are edged in solid wood of the same species as the veneer to give rigidity. Another favourite material is birch plywood. It has a beautiful finish, is hard and strong and comes with an FSC certificate guaranteeing it is from a sustainable source.
Hand Painting
To produce the warmth, look and feel of a traditional fitted cupboard, hand painting is a must. We only use water based paints. They are eco friendly and, unlike oil finishes, the white pigment does not yellow with age. The paint flows out beautifully on application leaving barely visible brush marks. We use a brand from Finland called Tikkurila. It’s a dedicated furniture paint, is exceptionally hard wearing and they can mix colours from the popular palettes of Little Greene, Farrow and Ball and Paint and Paper Library.
We also have the facilities for spray finishing, which we tend to employ with our more contemporary work.