Sam's branching out

Sam Anderson’s imaginative, bespoke furniture is in some of Britain’s finest homes thanks to his USP of making “furniture as art” through a combination of eye-catching techniques and interesting designs.

But his latest venture has given him free-rein to create his own range. Spectrum features his trademark shapes, inlays and veneers, along with a dash of contemporary style and a more affordable price point.

“The idea is that it is multi-functional furniture designed for the eclectic or urban home,” says Sam, who is based in Wensleydale.

“Spectrum offers an alternative to the bespoke side of our business and there are shorter lead times between ordering and delivery, plus more accessible prices.”

The range includes butler’s trays with colourful laminate bases that can be used alone or with fold-away legs. The legs make them useful as a side table or a bedside table. The trays are £72 each and the tray with legs is £280, which is good value for a product handmade in solid American walnut.

His Café tables, £890, are also in walnut with a choice of bright veneers or laminate, while his Console table is a favourite thanks to its elegant good looks.

Sam designed it with narrow entrance halls and small sitting rooms in mind and it comes with coloured veneer with matching, hard-wearing laminate as a drawer lining. At £1,650 it is an investment buy but it is built to last and looks all set to be an antique of the future. If it turns up on an episode of the Antiques Roadshow a hundred years from now, the experts will no doubt remark on the Sam-style craftsmanship.

He is self-taught, which means that although he mastered all the traditional cabinet maker techniques, including everything from inlays to perfect dovetail joints, he has also invented many of his own.

“It’s just something I have always had an aptitude for and what I didn’t know I picked up from books, the internet and from trial and error. Not having the formal training has been an advantage in a way because it means I have developed my own style,” says Sam, a former set and lighting designer, who worked in the theatre before setting up as an independent furniture maker.

Much of his work is inspired by classical architecture but he combines it with modern influences and a love of curves. Those who want to see more of his work can visit his workshop. It is a converted farm building in the garden of his home, which borders the village green in East Witton, one of the prettiest places in Wensleydale.

*www.samandersonfinefurniture.co.uk