'Merchant & Maker' is a fine quality furniture design and cabinet making partnership. The 'Maker', Bethan Griffiths achieved a B.A. Honours in Three Dimensional Design at Manchester Metropolitan University, followed by the furniture making course at Rycotewood College. She then spent 8 years, as a lady blacksmith working with 5 different blacksmiths, so her experience is both extensive as well as extremely accomplished. The 'Merchant', Willow Bicknell studied Art, History of Art and Photography before spending 4 years with the innovative antiques dealers Harvey Ferry and Willie Clegg at 'The Country Seat' in Huntercombe. Harvey and Willie are known for, amongst other things, their important 'Signed and Designed' exhibitions, showing some of the finest examples of design and cabinet work, from all periods of history, in the country. Willow now has a successful antiques business of his own in Nettlebed, Oxfordshire.

Together, Bethan designing/making, and Willow designing/marketing the furniture and objects, they are
'Merchant and Maker'.


'Traditionally Influenced Designs for Contemporary Living'

With our combined experience of construction and design we have produced furniture and objects, which are not only useful, but aesthetically pleasing and, more importantly, of the very finest quality. Drawing on the knowledge of design that Bethan gained through her studies and working with fellow craftsmen, and Willow through handling antiques and objects from the 17th century right through to 1960's & 70's designers our motto is 'Traditionally Influenced Designs for Contemporary Living"

Throughout the ages there have been many periods and styles of furniture, some of which have inspired and influenced our designs. Our 'Tenon & Tenon' range for instance, very much drawing on the principles of the 'Arts and Crafts' movement. Shown with our use of good quality, solid form and 'revealed construction' [such as dovetail joints, pegs and tenons] as decoration. William Morris believed that you should "have nothing in your houses which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" hear! hear! to that.

One of the reasons we started the company was because we felt that there were very few businesses offering a bespoke service, producing good quality, well-designed furniture and objects at realistic prices. Also being an antique dealer I was finding that some of my clients, although liking antiques, needed some pieces for specific 'contemporary' use, coffee tables or cabinets for television and audio being prime examples. In addition I might be lucky enough to find an antique that was particularly unusual or innovative and, rather than just selling, it we now replicate the object, adapt it or incorporate some of these features into one of our own designs. In this way the appeal of the original item is preserved in some form.

Clients may choose to either order a piece exactly as it is shown in this website or our literature, or may change the dimensions, timber or colour as required. Indeed we can produce one-off designs entirely to a client's specification. We work in all timbers, metals, glass and leather and can organise upholstery, colouring and polishing.

The designs we have created combine the quality and beauty of the traditionally produced pieces of the past, work well with the contemporary interiors of today and of course will be a fine investment for the future.

Thank you to our models Jane, Andrew and Lulu, particularly for the use of their house, garden and drinks cabinet. No animals were harmed in the making of this website...[well not much]

If you have any questions about our company, be they technical or philosophical, please do not hesitate to contact us.