SIX MAKERS TELL US WHAT ‘GOOD CRAFTSMANSHIP’ MEANS TO THEM
The Rush Project, part of Summerfield + Scott’s work, is dedicated to promoting rush as a renewable, locally sourced material in furniture making and restoration.
Good craftsmanship isn't a style. It's a way of working. It shows up in decisions most people never see. The choice of material. The time taken. The restraint to leave something as it is, rather than overwork it.
We ask six makers whose work we respect what good craftsmanship means to them. Not as a definition but something lived out in practice.
“Good craftsmanship should sing to you. It should move you either emotionally or it should make you want to hold it or touch it. So it's not just about how well it's been made but it should have this aesthetic beauty and a real tactile quality at the same time. You then know that the person who's made it has got years and years and years of skill and experience behind them, and they know their material really well.”
Sue Kirk, willow baskets and sculpture
“It’s all in the finish. My work is built in layers, so for the finish to be flawless, every layer under the last needs to be perfect, otherwise the next layer won't be. The attention to detail isn't just for aesthetics, it’s to ensure longevity and sustainability for a piece that can withstand time.”
Rose Raw -Rees, upholstery
“It’s in the texture, the imperfections, the marks which have been made only by the human hands in crafting the piece.”
Bruce Fine Papers, block printed wallpaper
“To me it looks like originality. I'm not a great one for achieving perfection. There's certain things that you can't live with if you want to do something and be proud of it. But at the same time I can't follow the order of icy perfection.
I think (Charles Rennie) Mackintosh said 'there is hope in honest error; none in the icy perfections of the mere stylist'.
I often show people an old Sadler's tool bag that I bought at auction and it's from the 19th century I think. They all love it and nothing is perfect about it. There's wonky stitching, there's repaired areas. So I think good craftsmanship involves authenticity and originality not perfection.”
Justin Capp, leatherwork
“I am not in the business of marking ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Those terms don't exist in creativity. ‘Good’ craftsmanship and creativity is when the person making it entered a state they can’t when not making.”
Anna Roberts-Finn, artist
“It's really simple. It's got to stand the test of time: both in terms of design and production.
Is the design timeless, and will the manufacturing stand up to that time? With something that you've made, can you say, I am confident that that is going to last for the next 50, 100 years and beyond, or be repairable within that time.”
Summerfield + Scott, furniture restoration
