Yours For The Making with Robin Johnson

Master joiner Tom has spent more than 20 years developing the precision, problem solving and traditional skills behind bespoke joinery.
In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson speaks with Tom Cottington about his journey from furniture restoration and demanding apprenticeships to complex architectural joinery at Johnson Bespoke. Tom shares lessons from restoring period furniture, learning traditional techniques and making costly mistakes that ultimately shaped his approach to craftsmanship.
They explore the precision behind staircases, doors, windows and furniture, the difference between carpentry and joinery, and the growing competition from mass produced CNC products.
It is a practical look at the skill, experience and resilience required to build bespoke work properly.

Key Topics Covered
✦ Tom Cottington’s journey into bespoke joinery
✦ Traditional furniture making and antique restoration
✦ What a demanding apprenticeship actually teaches
✦ Why problem solving is central to joinery
✦ The precision required to build staircases
✦ The difference between joinery and carpentry
✦ Traditional craftsmanship versus CNC production
✦ Why handmade joinery costs more
✦ Learning from mistakes and criticism
✦ The satisfaction of making complex work from start to finish

Check out Johnson Bespoke:
https://www.johnsonbespoke.co.uk/

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson, founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop, this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.
Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg

Key Moments:
00:00 Tom’s early obsession with making things
01:04 Furniture making, restoration and apprenticeships
07:47 The mistake that ruined a set of window sashes
12:14 Why joinery is 50 percent problem solving
18:25 Spending months learning to sand properly
19:41 Learning to build staircases
22:34 Why joiners mark timber with a knife
26:02 The three skills every complete joiner needs
27:26 Joinery versus carpentry explained
37:58 Competing with mass produced CNC joinery
41:30 Why Tom enjoys difficult projects
48:34 The appeal of complex bespoke work
55:57 Tom’s advice after 20 years in joinery

After 24 years in fashion, Sophie changed direction and built Côte de Folk from scratch, eventually earning recognition from House and Garden.
In this episode of Yours for the Making, Sophie Rowell joins Robin Johnson to discuss career reinvention, renovating period properties, working with architects and craftspeople, and designing homes around how people actually live. She also shares why renovation budgets need contingency, why she avoids photorealistic AI renders, and how trust creates space for original design.
Sophie also reveals the thinking behind Le Dot fabric, her playful fabric collection bringing colour, curves and personality into interiors.

Key Topics Covered
✦ Sophie Rowell's career change from fashion to interior design
✦ Building Côte de Folk from the first client to House and Garden recognition
✦ The three year transformation of The Red House
✦ Collaboration between designers, architects and craftspeople
✦ Why every renovation budget needs contingency
✦ Interior designers versus architects and where their roles differ
✦ Making existing spaces work harder instead of simply making them bigger
✦ Creating original interiors without copying Pinterest and magazines
✦ Why Sophie avoids photorealistic AI renders
✦ Building a small interior design studio around flexibility and collaboration
✦ Creating Le Dot fabric collection and bringing playfulness into interiors

Check out Sophie Rowell in Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cotedefolk/
Check out Côte de Folk:
https://www.cotedefolk.com/

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson, founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop, this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.
Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg

Key Moments:
00:00 Sophie Rowell's 24 year career in fashion
01:48 The life change that pushed Sophie towards interior design
04:13 Landing her first client three weeks before her deadline
05:45 The Red House project that transformed her career
12:39 Why collaboration drives Côte de Folk's design process
20:27 Why renovation projects need contingency
30:10 Architects versus interior designers
32:33 Why bigger homes do not always work better
38:21 How Sophie develops an interior around the people living there
40:58 Why trust creates better design
43:45 Why Sophie refuses photorealistic AI renders
55:09 Why Sophie abandoned her goal of building a larger team
57:04 Creating Le Dot fabric collection
1:00:42 Sophie's advice to her 18 year old self

What does it take to turn a tired country hotel into a destination people genuinely want to return to?
In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson sits down with Chris King, founder of Crafted, to explore the transformation of PowderMills in Battle, East Sussex. Set around a seven acre lake on the site of a former gunpowder mill, Crafted brings together boutique hospitality, bold interior design, British craftsmanship, wellness, food and community.
Chris shares the thinking behind the hotel’s transformation, from trusting bold design decisions and commissioning local craftspeople to creating a lakeside sauna, cold water swimming area, padel courts, pottery workshops and spaces designed for social connection.
They discuss the realities of building a new hospitality brand from scratch, supporting British makers, sourcing food locally, creating memorable guest experiences and making major investment decisions when there is no guarantee they will work.
Chris also explains why Crafted is being built as a social catalyst. With remote work and changing lifestyles leaving many people increasingly isolated, the aim is to create opportunities for guests and members to meet, try new things and build genuine connections.
It is a conversation about hospitality, craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and what happens when every detail of a physical space is considered through the eyes of the person who will actually use it.

Key Topics Covered
✦ Transforming PowderMills into Crafted
✦ Building a distinctive boutique hotel brand
✦ Bold interior design and taking creative risks
✦ Working with British craftspeople and local makers
✦ Reclaimed timber, handmade ceramics and bespoke furniture
✦ Sauna, cold water swimming and padel
✦ Designing hospitality around guest experience
✦ Local food, organic growing and sustainability
✦ Building community through shared experiences
✦ Social connection and social health
✦ Starting a hospitality brand from zero
✦ Reversible and irreversible business decisions

Check out Chris King in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckroaming/
Check out Crafted at PowderMills: https://www.staycrafted.com/

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.
Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg

Key Moments:
00:00 Introducing Chris King and Crafted
07:00 Why PowderMills was the right location
13:10 Bold interiors and trusting the designer
16:53 Bringing local craftsmanship into the hotel
20:00 Creating the lakeside sauna and swim experience
26:30 Can this hospitality model make money?
31:09 British craftsmanship competing on price
38:30 Designing a frictionless guest journey
43:34 Why Chris designs for himself
46:30 Taking risks and testing new ideas
50:37 Why padel is here to stay
58:27 Creating a social catalyst outside London
1:02:34 Why social health matters
1:05:30 Chris King’s advice to his younger self

What separates true bespoke joinery from furniture that has simply been made to measure?
In this solo Q&A episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson answers the questions he receives most often about bespoke joinery, cabinet making, luxury interiors and running a successful joinery business.
Robin explains how every detail is considered in bespoke projects, why traditional craftsmanship still matters alongside CNC technology, how materials are selected for luxury homes and hospitality projects, and what clients should look for when choosing a bespoke furniture maker.
He also shares how Johnson Bespoke has grown from two people to a team of twenty while protecting traditional woodworking skills through apprentice training and craftsmanship.

Key Topics Covered
✦ What bespoke joinery really means
✦ Bespoke joinery compared with made to measure furniture
✦ Traditional woodworking and CNC machining
✦ Luxury cabinet making
✦ Material selection for bespoke furniture
✦ Solid timber, veneers and premium finishes
✦ Luxury residential and hospitality interiors
✦ How to choose materials that last
✦ Pricing bespoke joinery honestly
✦ Managing client expectations
✦ Growing a joinery business
✦ Training apprentices in traditional woodworking

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 What makes joinery truly bespoke
02:57 Traditional skills or modern machinery
06:30 Choosing materials for luxury projects
15:30 What luxury means in bespoke joinery
21:19 Solving complex design challenges
24:43 Honest pricing and client expectations
28:10 Growing a joinery business without losing craftsmanship
29:56 Training apprentices and protecting traditional skills

How does someone leave a career as a patent attorney to become a furniture maker?
In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson sits down with furniture designer and maker Theo Silkstone to explore his unconventional journey from studying Material Science at Oxford to building sculptural furniture inspired by nature.
Theo shares how renovating a cottage during lockdown changed the direction of his life, why a fallen oak tree became the catalyst for a new career and how traditional cabinet making at Rycotewood shaped his approach to craftsmanship.
They discuss furniture design, woodworking, cabinet making, sculptural furniture, creative careers, sustainable timber, material science, AI in furniture design, marketing for makers and the realities of running a creative business.

Key Topics Covered
✦ Theo's journey from Oxford to furniture making
✦ Leaving a career in patent law
✦ How a fallen oak tree changed everything
✦ Learning cabinet making at Rycotewood
✦ Designing sculptural furniture
✦ Functional art and furniture design
✦ Working with oak, ash, metal and Jesmonite
✦ Building bespoke hi fi cabinets
✦ Marketing for furniture makers
✦ Using AI during the design process
✦ Setting up a new workshop
✦ Building a creative community

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 From patent attorney to furniture maker
04:27 Learning cabinet making at Rycotewood
06:03 Designing sculptural furniture
10:21 Why marketing matters for makers
12:00 Working with oak, ash and Jesmonite
15:06 Material science meets woodworking
23:30 Why old furniture is a timber goldmine
31:33 Learning from other crafts
40:56 AI and the future of creative work
54:48 Building a new workshop
56:08 Advice to his younger self