Every project we build depends on a small group of makers: stonemasons, joiners, plasterers and metalworkers, many of whom we have worked with for more than a decade. Their knowledge shapes the work as much as ours, so we bring them in early and listen carefully.
Drawings that leave room
A construction drawing can be so complete that it leaves no space for skill. We try to draw the intent precisely, the dimensions, the tolerances, the way a joint should feel to the hand, and then ask the maker how they would achieve it with the material in front of them.
A joiner might suggest a different grain direction for a long shelf so it will not sag. A mason might propose a deeper bed for a step that will be used every day. These suggestions are small, but together they make a building last.
We draw the idea. The maker knows how the material wants to behave.
Samples before decisions
We never approve a finish from a photograph. Every stone, plaster and oil is tested as a full-size sample on site, in the light where it will live, and left for a few weeks before anyone decides.
Stone samples cut, honed and wetted to see them at their best and worst
Plaster panels applied by the same hand that will do the walls
Timber finishes tested on offcuts from the actual boards
Metal patinas checked after exposure to the real air of the site
Credit where it belongs
Each of our case studies lists the builders and makers alongside the designers. It is a small gesture, but it reflects how the work is really done: by many people, over many months, each adding something that could not have been drawn.
