Matthew Burt FSDC
Furniture & Boxes
Matthew seeks to express the twin disciplines of the designer-maker by using home-grown timbers and searching to communicate each tree’s narrative. It is not enough that it is just wood, it has to be sensitively selected and thoughtfully displayed for it to give of its best. Each tree will reveal its character, its past and its charms, and tell that individual story. Such timber comes with faults, unusable splits and knots. Consequently, his work is often made from smaller components, gleaned from between and around these various ‘defects’ which he reconfigures into pieces, designed and made for posterity, able to punch above their weight and withstand the vagaries of modern living and beyond, to give joy in use as 21st century English furniture.
Within Matthew’s practice there is a parity of status and intent between designing, making and material; all of them marshalled into a perpetual pursuit of the synergy that is the designer-maker. To these ends, Matthew has taken apprentices on similar journeys, aiming to give them the baton so that they might dip it into their own experience and run with it into their futures. He aspires to give them a mastery of process, using tools from the biblical to the digital.
Matthew is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Recent public commissions:
- Altars for St Thomas’s Church, Salisbury and St John the Baptist, Tisbury
- Restaurant & bar furniture for The Royal Oak, Swallowcliffe
- Exterior benches for 'Inspiring Views', Surrey Hills Arts
Awards:
- 2017 Christopher Claxton Stevens Prize for Excellence
- 2015 Best Use of British Timber, Woodland Heritage
- 2001 The Master’s Gold Award, Furniture Makers’ Company
Permanent collections:
- Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
- Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts, Surrey
- Racine Art Museum, USA
-
David works in wood creating small items of furniture and decorative sculptures at his workshop in North Devon. He combines traditional and...
View profile -
Furniture and other wooden artefacts that redefine function and form whilst celebrating material and pushing the boundaries of technique.
View profile -
Euan's work reflects our relationship with everyday shapes and objects-things we use all the time, articles that we take for granted. He is...
View profile -
Sean Evelegh is a furniture designer and maker, based in Sevenoaks, Kent. His passion for creating beautiful wooden furniture embraces the...
View profile -
Edward Johnson designs and makes contemporary furniture. His creative approach allows him to think outside of the box and push the...
View profile -
Having spent his early career at sea and working as a shipwright he enrolled at Rycotewood College, Thame, in 1979. He completed his...
View profile -
Understated design, often with a geometric influence, thoughtfully chosen woods and attention to detail have been characteristics of...
View profile -
Armando designs and makes unique pieces furniture that allow the beauty and warmth of wood to speak for itself.
View profile -
John Makepeace OBE creates individual masterpieces. He is regarded as one of Britains most influential furniture designers and makers.
View profile -
Christine creates wall-based artworks and functional pieces of art with a marquetry surface. She studied fine art and after a career in...
View profile -
Phil Ratcliffe is an artist, designer maker and craftsman who directs a complete design service.
View profile -
Through a lifelong career as a bespoke furniture maker, Mark has developed a distinctive style inspired by English vernacular design and...
View profile -
Andrew Skelton brings innovative design, high quality materials and attention to detail to a wide range of projects.
View profile -
Kevin Stamper is an abstract artist and furniture maker. He works in solid wood and veneers and specialises in hand-dyed veneer to create...
View profile -
Made by 68° is the London based design studio established by Richard Warmisham in 2014. Richard studied fine-furniture making and design at...
View profile -
Edward Wild is an award-winning furniture designer-maker, creating handmade bespoke furniture in an elegant contemporary style.
View profile -
Toby really enjoys creating interesting furniture and accessories for the home primarily using wood, veneer and other materials....
View profile -
Brendan runs Worsley Woodworking and is a designer/maker of bespoke hand crafted furniture from his workshop in Suffolk. Working to...
View profile