After the events of the last twelve months, this year’s spring season offers more to look forward to than any year ever before.  This season we are very excited to be planting over three hundred trees on the estate surrounding our Oxfordshire workshop.  They are species native to the area, including oak, beech, cherry, hornbeam, ash and more.

We want to promote sustainable design and living where possible, so we feel it is important to give back to the environment too.  Here are a few saplings, sprouting up in their little tubes, protected from rabbits, muntjacs and other little nibblers.

It’s a small step forward, but it seemed like a good place to start. We look forward to watching them grow!

Working with natural materials like wood, stone or brick is what we do best.  It is good to know that your kitchen and  furniture, handcrafted from timber, are helping to offset global carbon dioxide emissions.  Even in their repurposed form as timber for kitchens and furniture, trees store their carbon, rather than releasing it as harmful carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

When you choose a handmade bespoke designed Griggs & Mackay kitchen made from sustainably grown oak, your home not only looks modern and stylish, but also minimises your home’s carbon carbon footprint.

If you are designing your new space with sustainability and eco-friendly practices in mind, we like odourless, water-based paint from Little Greene which boasts the industry’s lowest levels of harmful unstable chemicals. Another little gem is The Paint and Paper Library whose paints also exceed industry standards for eco-friendly  composition.   Wallpaper ranges from both  Little Greene and  the Paint and Paper Library are produced from trees from certified sustainable forests.

Right now we are loving the luminous paint colour ‘Blue Blood’ from The Paint and Paper Library and wallpaper ‘St Jame’s Park Cobalt Fade’ from Little Greene.  And no, we are not paid to say so, we just really like them alot!

If you’d like to discuss your next home improvement project, we’d love to hear from you on 01491 411 714.

 

Like every rose has its thorn, every home has THE CUPBOARD: you know the one. I’m referring to the one you open and close at lightening speed before an old rugby boot or a golf club topples out and knocks you unconscious.

Every home requires a storage solution, and we believe the inside of your cupboards and wardrobes should be equally as beautiful as the outside.  Everything needs its place and you just need the right place for everything you need, whether it’s shelving for books, cupboards for brooms or a just the right wardrobe for designer gowns.  Creating fine, bespoke furniture is the foundation of the Griggs and Mackay company.  We are here to make furniture that you need, that works for you and your lifestyle, and at the same time reflects beauty and style.

John Mackay began helping his mother, Dorothy, restore antique furniture over 40 years ago.  He took the time to appreciate fine design and craftsmanship while sanding, stripping and restoring lustre, patina, elegant structure and intricately carved details.

So it’s no wonder he has brought this appreciation for classic beauty  into his own work designing furniture.  Creating bespoke furniture is an inspired process.  No different to the dressmaker who sews the fine, tailored suit,  a piece of bespoke furniture should fit perfectly, feel luxurious and serve its’ purpose,  all the while reflecting the style and attitude of its owner.

Get in touch to discuss what you need from your home.  We can design and create beautiful pieces of furniture that meet your needs.  All of our handcrafted furniture is made in our Oxfordshire workshop.  Everything is designed and created by the same people who fit each piece into your home, so you can be reassured they understand how both the concept and the physical creation make the perfect fit.

Please visit our Handcrafted Interiors page to view our gallery of  hand made pieces of furniture from storage cupboards, closets, wardrobes, window seats, shelving, boot storage, staircases, to wood panelling and more.

Here are a few examples of our bespoke furniture design created for clients in Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

The soft curves of this piece are classic.  Inspired by an apothecary cabinet, the contrast of the painted and exposed wood of these  drawers conceal a family’s seasonal accessories; gloves, scarves, sunglasses, dog leads.

This sitting room’s drinks cabinet conceals a finely crafted drawers and a granite worktop, the perfect hiding place for the Nespresso machine and the wine cooler, never far from reach of its reclined guests. Pocket doors slide out from either side of the worktop and close over the front.

These oiled oak drawers glide effortlessly and are a dream to touch.

The hat box store sits neatly into a sloping wall.

We like to ensure the design of a kitchen flows seamlessly into adjoining spaces.  We’ve carried this through to the living area as well.

Quality is reassuringly carried through to the inside.

Floor to ceiling shelves and cupboards add drama to this focal point of this family’s room.

Griggs & Mackay  always welcome a challenge when interesting projects come up that can showcase our skill and flare for design…

We are currently completing the final touches to a magnificent wine room in Oxfordshire . We thought, why not share with you our journey so far!

This brief was for a wine room that held 4,000 bottles, to be stored securely, in a temperature controlled environment. The room would also be used as a space for entertaining and therefore would need to provide a seating and dining area.

We set about designing around an existing building within the grounds of their impressive Oxfordshire home.

 This involved the construction of two extensions either side of this existing building. These extensions would be used as wine storage/display areas and the existing building would be used for entertaining.

As you can see here, the beauty of the original building has only been enhanced by these two extensions, which now harmoniously blend into one gorgeous building.

All the woodwork, including the wall paneling is made from European Oak, due to it’s lovely depth of colour and durability.

We chose to lay the floor in an aged ceramic tile, which not only compliments the European Oak’s colour, it happens to be extremely resilient to wine staining too- a certain must! We installed electric heated flooring in the entertaining area, which can be controlled from the ease of your phone, anywhere in the world!

A dishwasher and small larder fridge were also fitted either side of the striking copper basin and taps.

Adding to the visual ambiance of the building, we used clear glass doors separating both wine rooms from the central entertainment space. This creates a beautiful feature so the wine collection can be admired undisturbed whilst entertaining. We are also installing a conditioning system, where the atmosphere is controlled at a temperature between 12-13 °C and a constant humidity of 70%, making sure the quality of the wine is carefully preserved. Miele wine coolers were installed for those who prefer white and rosé wines, and of course, lets not forget, all the champagne !!!

The chandeliers and LED lighting have now just been installed, along with the antique mirrored splash back which together, look incredibly impressive. We specifically chose LED lighting to prevent deterioration to the wine.

* * *

The specialist painter is now adding the finishing touches to the ceilings. We will be posting the finished rooms very soon.

 

 

 

We are currently compiling all the best and beautiful bits from our latest projects, including our work in St Tropez and a very special wine cellar! Keep your eyes peeled as this will be coming very soon!