More than 100 people in the design and furnituremaking industry came together on 8th May at the Guildhall in Bath for Inspiring Makers. Hosted by Somerset-based luxury interiors brand Artichoke and The Furniture Makers’ Company, the conference, now in its fourth year, brought together leading voices and emerging talent from the South West and further afield.
With the decline of the UK’s master furnituremakers from 90,000 to 1000 over past 150 years, the not-for-profit event offers a unique platform to inspire future generations of craftspeople to promote hand skills and preserve the legacy of craft through the sharing of ideas, industry connection and the championing of making.
The line-up of talks and panel discussions engaged the audience on topics such as the advent of AI, gender inclusion, diversity and sustainability, with speakers from Artichoke, Matthew Cox, Benchmark, The Building Crafts College, Woodland Heritage, Anti Copying in Design (ACID), Sylva Foundation and Ergochair.
Bruce Hodgson, the founder and creative director of Artichoke, comments: “As heritage makers for the world’s finest interiors, we are committed to nurturing talent and preserving traditional handcrafting techniques for the future. Artistry and technical skill at our level can take decades in the making, which is why it’s so important to encourage young people into the craft. Along with our other educational initiatives such as apprenticeships, Inspiring Makers helps to encourage, train and sustain the masters of the future. This year’s event was hugely inspiring and we are already looking forward to planning next year.”
David Dewing, chairman of The Furniture Makers’ Company's South West Region, comments: “Inspiring Makers has become a cornerstone of our regional activity, and we’re proud to help organise an event that plays such an important role in safeguarding the future of British craftsmanship. It brings together makers, thinkers and doers from across the industry to exchange ideas, celebrate skill, and inspire the next generation. We are incredibly grateful to the speakers and panellists for sharing their knowledge and experience, and most of all to everyone who came and made the day such a success. We hope to see many of them return for next year’s conference.”
Register interest for Inspiring Makers 2026 here.
Inspiring Makers is supported by Artichoke, The Furniture Makers’ Company, Axminster Tools, Halstock. Sykes Timber, Ergochair and Castelan Group.
Photo courtesy James King
