It all started when we were approached by long standing customer Marco Pierre White, to help furnish a luxury hotel. Marco’s passion for traditional Howard and Sons furniture led to Lorfords designing and manufacturing bespoke copies of one of England’s most sought after makers. Our small collection of traditionally constructed and upholstered luxury furniture, known as Lorfords Created, was very well received.

The business has gone from strength to strength with a reputation founded on unsurpassed quality, comfort and durability combined with the timeless style and impeccable taste you would expect from Lorfords.

In light of our rapidly changing world we have adapted and adjusted the way we work, and in 2021 changed our name to reflect this: Lorfords Created became Lorfords Contemporary.

This doesn’t mean that we only produce contemporary furniture; in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The new name shows that we have embraced contemporary thinking and priorities, with an absolute focus on sustainability. We believe that sustainable, handcrafted, luxury furniture is what we, our customers and the planet need right now. In our book nothing could be more contemporary than sustainable luxury.

Our sustainable materials, processes and practices mean that we’ll never match the prices of the more mass market manufacturers. However, the lifetime impact and durability of our furniture means that the real cost to you, the environment, and the people within our supply chain is minimised.

•  Our traditional production techniques are inherently sustainable and ethical, and ensure the quality and durability of our products
• Our frames, components, materials and fabrics are ethically and sustainably sourced
• Wherever possible we use natural materials and avoid harmful chemicals in our production processes
• As a UK business, serving predominantly UK clients, the environmental impact of shipping and delivery is kept to a minimum
• Our workshop thrives on mindful and ethical practice. We like to grow our own craftspeople through apprenticeships, and have employed generations of the same family
• We are, of course, powered by sustainable energy and carefully manage our waste and recycling

We’re adapting our designs to more sustainable processes and materials, but there will only be minor changes to our much loved sofas and chairs. Our quality and customer service will remain the same.

Our new Vintage Cloth option featuring salvaged English and European hemps and linens is the ultimate in sustainable luxury. These wonderful textured fabrics are hand-dyed in small batches using entirely natural materials, resulting in intense earthy colours.

We recognise that there’s still a long way to go on our journey towards producing some of the most responsible chairs and sofas on the planet and we’d love you to join us.

" Traditional upholstery is a craft which has evolved over hundreds of years for padding and covering furniture before the development of sewing machines, synthetic fabrics, plastics and foam.

Using a solid wood or webbed platform, it can involve the use of springs, lashings, stuffings of various selections of hair and coir, wools , hessians, scrims, brittle ties, stuffing ties, blind stitching, top stitching, flocks and wadding; all built by hand.

At Lorfords Contemporary, it is our aim to continue using many of these traditional methods of upholstery and produce hand crafted furniture that will last a life time and will elevate your interiors with their quality and comfort."     

 Nick May - Upholstery Workshop Manager