Hugo works with only the finest quality hardwoods, from smooth White Ash to warm European Oak or stunning Black Walnut. In our modern world, with its bewildering array of manmade materials, wood alone can turn function into beauty, so Hugo’s furniture-building honours the simplicity of wood, celebrating its natural character, never over-treating it or trying to turn it into something that it isn’t. Hugo also brings together the skills of metalworkers, leatherworkers and glassworkers, and, if a client requires it, can combine materials in striking, unusual ways.
Chairs are ubiquitous, found in every room, so when it comes to building them you can’t compromise on comfort. Their absence of simple square parts, however, their numerous awkward angles, means many woodworkers shy away from building them. Hugo designs chairs to complement the body, embracing elegant curves, experimenting with angles, and creating long-lasting pieces that are a pleasure to sit, sprawl or perch on.
Tables are objects of great beauty, solid, yet versatile things, and – from a farmhouse dining table to a majestic boardroom centrepiece – they can become the gathering point for an entire building. Hugo’s tables range from round to square to extending, from traditional mortised and tennoned frame tables to elegant writing desks or quirky, idiosyncratic side tables enlivened with decorative veneers.
After training at Rycotewood Furniture College Hugo began his professional career as a cabinetmaker, spending 15 years working alongside some of the most skilled cabinetmakers in the UK. Focusing on the finer characteristics of timber and what one can do with it, Hugo’s cabinets are durable yet delicate structures, expressing a close attention to detail and striking that right balance between practicality and beauty.