Architecture Awards 2020

119 2020 Architecture Awards BUILD Aug20366 Best Handcrafted Kitchen & Furniture Designers 2020 - South East England Founded over 30 years ago, Griggs and Mackay Design Ltd. has grown into a team of experts that win the hearts of their clients. With humble beginnings working alongside his mother, Dorothy, restoring antique furniture, John Mackay developed his passion for design and craftsmanship. This led him on a journey to create his business which is based in Oxfordshire, in a small village called Bix. riggs and Mackay Design has remained true to its core beliefs, even after being in business for three decades. The team of 15 expert craftsmen have made it their duty to create hand-made spaces that perfectly suit their customer’s dreams, in a way that makes the company stand out from the crowd of bulk-manufacturing kitchen goliaths. For Griggs and Mackay Design, the customer is the main focus when it comes to designing, creating and installing furniture in a home. The craftsmen stand in the space with the customer and listen. They take the customer’s hopes, wants and needs and lean on their own years of experience to make the client’s vision a reality, creating a truly bespoke service. This personal touch is often lost in the modern process of the bulk manufacturers. One of the huge benefits of having an in-house team of experts creating a bespoke design for each customer is the ability to tailor and customise for each project. Furniture can be built specifically to fit a wonky wall or follow an abstract curve – a level of personalisation that isn’t possible without a hands-on expert ready and willing to listen. The Griggs and Mackay team who design and hand make the kitchens, are the same people who fit it into the clients home so they understand every piece and how it should fit. They strive to make sure every corner, curve and contour works perfectly for the customer, and if it doesn’t, they make it right. Despite modern challenges, Griggs and Mackay Design has displayed a resilience and adaptability that has allowed them to thrive, not to mention a willingness to take on challenges. A recent project of theirs saw them renovating a large riverside home in Oxfordshire that required not one, not two, but five new kitchens – one of which was to be fitted in a sauna! Not only was this a large project that required a truly bespoke design across a range of spaces, but it was also very important to the client that the renovations be done using sustainable materials. Completely doing away with copper piping and MDF, these experts sourced specialised environmentally friendly materials and delivered a fantastic renovation that left the customers very G happy. On another project, they designed a kitchen that perfectly suited the life-style of a plastic-free family, with extra space for glass jars and an extensive recycling storage solution. Observing the changing values of their customers and learning and growing as a business, Griggs and Mackay Design now aim to use as many sustainable materials as possible in each project. Plus, taking on the responsibility to do more as a company, they now plant a tree at their Oxfordshire workshop for every kitchen they create. To represent their ethos of customer focus, they then tag each tree with the name of the client. Although the majority of the work they do is based in the UK, Griggs and Mackay Design have recently carried out many projects abroad including The Channel Islands, Spain, and France. Griggs and Mackay Design set an example. They stand out as a small, expert business that puts their ethics first, respecting customers’ wishes, making bold moves to become a more environmentally sustainable company, and ensuring expert craftsmanship is prominent in each and every one of their projects. If you’re in the Reading area, they invite you to visit their Caversham showroom where they sell unique home furnishings and kitchenware, and you can experience the excellent customer service yourself. Company: Griggs and Mackay Design Ltd. Website: www.griggsandmackay.com Photography Credit: David Parmiter