Peter Harrison Furniture
The Woodyard, 38, Cheddars Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8LD
mail@peterharrisonfurniture.co.uk
www.peterharrisonfurniture.co.uk
From sleek design-led kitchens to ergonomic rocking chairs, commanding dining room tables to ingenious hidden bookcases, there’s seemingly no limit to what Peter Harrison can create out of wood. His commissions range from the showstopping (a Swarovski crystal-encrusted coffee table) to the essential everyday (fitted alcove wardrobes, popular in Victorian homes).
Peter, who works from a former builder’s yard in Cheddar’s Lane, Cambridge, is a self-taught furniture designer/maker, and launched his business in 1994.
Previously working as an antiques restorer, he discovered a love of furniture construction, whether it be fashioning a new tabletop from floorboards or creating a chair leg for a treasured heirloom. And he’s been designing what he modestly describes as ‘beautiful bits of furniture’ ever since.
Working largely on private client commissions, Peter’s talents have taken him as far afield as France, though he’s currently busy designing and fitting bespoke kitchens in Cambridge, with demand for home improvement rising post lockdown.
One of Peter’s biggest passions is producing his own modern pieces, including turned wooden candlesticks, decorative boxes and chopping boards, which he sells at Cambridge Open Studios each July. Many of his designs are extraordinarily inventive, such as his American walnut XX table, which holds its striking shape thanks to a hidden steel armature encased within its legs, or his ‘brick’ chairs, inspired by mid-century rubber block doormats. Peter uses a combination of ancient tools (dating back to the 18th century) and modern means (3D computer design) to ensure his work is top quality.
Passionate about being environmentally responsible, he sources timber from countries with good forest management records, and regularly works with recycled or reused timber and fittings. With such attention to detail, superior design and appreciation for the beauty of wood, a Peter Harrison original should last a lifetime.