Sams
Story

I stumbled upon woodworking when I was 16 through college and immediately became fascinated with the physicality and technique behind the craft. My interest grew with each year of my studies. After completing my City and Guilds diploma in furniture making, I spent the next 2 years working alongside local joiners and boat builders, learning the more mechanical aspects of wood in Falmouth's historic boat yards. Not only did this improve my skillset it broadened it.  I was only just starting to see how vast the array of woodworking was.

Up until this point I had developed a keen eye for joinery and had some of the technique to match. However, my eye for aesthetics needed refinement -  and this is where mentorship came into the picture. Around this time I set up a small studio in the heart of Falmouth thanks to the help of Michel Francoise, a French ceramicist. Michel was the first person to make me truly think about aesthetics. Following his advice I began to take an interest in things that had previously gone unnoticed, such as architecture, the form of trees and ceramics to name a few. Through this curiosity I met other like-minded creatives and craftspeople. 

I also discovered some of my favourite furniture makers including James Krenov and Sam Maloof. What drew me to their work was their subtle use of curved details and excellent proportions.  This only spurred me on creatively. My evenings were now spent designing and gradually finding my eye for curve, proportion and ergonomics.

Since I had run out of joinery offcuts and old floor boards to make things with, it was time to buy my first sawn board from a local sawmill near Penzance. This was a special mill as all of the timber was Cornish. I was amazed by the colours you can get from Cornish timbers, such as the radiant orange of yew, to brown oaks to fine pale sycamores and all grown within 40 miles of me. I found this incredible and it remains a core tenant of my business today. It felt natural to create furniture that centres the grain; to do otherwise would be a waste of such beauty. 

Samuel Otis Furniture grew from a desire to improve my craftsmanship. My vision was to gradually build a range of homeware products, through both designing and constructing these pieces I could expand my knowledge and gain a new perspective on the craft of cabinet making.

I've been working ever since on my signature homeware range and am enjoying the process immensely. It's a wonderful thought that my cabinet making is in many homes, adding both character and function to personal spaces. Today, my work is made from a workshop in the Cornish countryside, surrounded by trees and open green space, a setting that feels closely aligned with how I work and what I value. The quieter pace allows me to focus even more deeply on my craft.