Northern Gathering

Northern Contemporary Furniture Makers Gathering

9th October at Manchester Metropolitan University

Over fifty makers and students met at Manchester Metropolitan University for the first NCFM Gathering. The day consisted of four sessions. In the morning we looked at trends in the bespoke furniture making business, the afternoon was devoted to the perennial problem of how to turn a profit.

Phil Koomen kicked off talking about how he reconciles the environmental ethic with the economic ethic. He now sources most of his timber within a thirty mile radius of his workshop and finds that this provenance brings economic benefits to his business.

Dave Grimshaw, head of 3D design at Manchester Met. examined the way in which digital technology is influencing furniture design. Using such techniques as digital laser cutting, 3 to 6 axis CNC, motion capture and decision making computers forms can now be achieved which would be impossible using traditional methods. He sited the work of makers such as David Trubridge, Daniel O’Riorden and Gareth Neal.

The afternoon started with Jeremy Bassett of the Institute of Marketers outlining an approach to marketing. He started with the mathematics of price setting and objective setting. An objective might be “To get people to pay what I need them to pay based on the maths – Because I’m worth it”. He emphasised that the campaign for quality furniture should be a collective effort. A copy of his presentation is available for download at the bottom of this page.

The final session was led by David Wilson of Woodb Furniture. As a working maker he brought a practical slant to the previous session. His tips for success were; do the maths, don’t work for less than the cost of making, differentiate from the retail outlets, location is vital and find your own style.

The day was now long enough really so most people adjourned to the pub to continue the discussions!