Bespoke
Source
Book of Furniture Designer Makers
by Betty Norbury
Hardcover
255 x 295mm
440pp
Published by Stobart Davies, Hertford, UK
R.R.P.$125.00
ISBN 978-0-85442-185-5
ON BACK ORDER
As reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 138
Some readers of The Australian Woodworker will have met Betty Norbury on one of her trips to Australia.
For more than 20 years, Betty has organised the national and international teaching tours made by her husband, the famous woodcarver and author, Ian Norbury. Over the same period, she has also organised many major woodworking exhibitions in Britain and through them she has made contact with the finest of fine woodworkers in that region.
Bespoke, her latest book about their work, not only presents magnificently photographed pieces by some 150 furniture makers, it also includes a carefully detailed description of the process by which such work may be commissioned.
On the face of it, since the book deals with woodworkers on the other side of the world, it may be thought likely to be of only limited interest to an antipodean audience. But the book's appeal goes beyond its fundamental purpose. By presenting such exemplary work by so many fine woodworkers, it provides an inspirational snapshot of woodworking in Britain today.
The major part of the book is organised into furniture according to its purpose: The Bedroom, Boxes, Cabinets, Chairs, Chests of Drawers, Collecting, Corporate Commissions, The Dining Room, The Garden, The Hallway, The Library, Media Storage, The Music Room, The Office, The Sitting Room and Tables.
A couple of chapters preceding the photo gallery cover commissioning and provide a list of some of the retail outlets where examples of the furniture from the represented makers may be seen. At the end of the book is a list of names and addresses of designer/makers.
As befits a book of its intended scope, it is published in large format so as to give maximum impact to the photographs.
About the Author: Betty Norbury is the author of Furniture for the 21st Century, Marketing and Promotion for Crafts and British Craftsmanship in Wood. She has directed the White Knight Gallery in Cheltenham for twenty five years and curated numerous exhibitions of designer made furniture, notably Celebration of Craftsmanship and Design, now in its 14th year. Her unrivalled experience and knowledge of the bespoke furniture industry places her in a unique position to write this book.
Photos: Colour
Units of Measurement: Metric
Contents
Introduction
Commissioning
Retail
Outlets
The
Bedroom
Boxes
Cabinets
Chairs
Chests
of Drawers
Collecting
Corporate
Commissions
The Dining
Room
The Garden
The
Hallway
The Library
Media Storage
The Music Room
The Office
The
Sitting Room
Tables
Makers
Index
Makers by County
Index
Photographic Acknowledgements