Acanthus : Contract Furniture

Bespoke Manufacturing

Our UK facilities for upholstery, and for fabrication in wood and metal, enable us to provide a full furniture solution when a design brief includes a bespoke component. Often the requirement will draw on multiple manufacturing processes, which must come together seamlessly to yield the function and quality of finish of an off-the-peg product, in an individually made ‘special’ that satisfies relevant legislation, around fire performance for example .

Whilst we typically work to specifications drawn up by designers and architects, we generate design drawings in-house to realise concepts that are initially less clearly defined. Our experience in the field provides added value in informing the design & specification process in respect of the practicability and viability of bespoke solutions.

Special made tables and benches are typical bespoke requirements. At Headingley Emerald Stadium, the specification for brass-edged tables in large and irregular sizes, could only be realised with purpose manufacturing in wood, steel & brass. Similarly, at the flagship Iceland Test Kitchen facility, where an even larger table top in solid oak, presented as much of a challenge for the fitters as for the production teams.

The furniture package at Garrard House, comprising 80 sq. metres of acoustic wall panelling and frame enclosures, benching and palisades, involved manufacturing in steel, wood, brass & upholstery and subsequently installing to the tolerance of +/-0.5%. The exacting brief extended to demands of fire, acoustic and environmental performance, making for a complex solution and yielding great satisfaction on completion.

The AV technical furniture package, that was our contribution to the Kuwait University development, was prepared against a particularly rigorous specification including precise expectations of cabinet cooling, AV connectivity, and internal power distribution. The ability to manufacture in multiple figurations and finishes in response to a room-by-room requirement, ultimately landed the 300 unit contract for Acanthus.

Naturally, we are always eager to explore the possibility of reusing furniture before replacing it. When there are options for refurbishment and reupholstery, as was the case at Broad Chare for example, we are well placed to deliver.

Manufacturing in the UK, from materials that are sourced with sensitivity for environmental and ethical sustainability, is an essential dimension of the Acanthus philosophy.