Rubgbeian Theo Silkstone is a bespoke furniture maker based near Rugby. His work explores organic forms and the interplay of light, texture and tactility. His work is experimental in both form and material, but rooted in traditional craftsmanship to create pieces that will endure. Recent commissions include unique home-office desks and bespoke HiFi cabinets, alongside statement pieces that blur the line between sculpture and furniture. With a strong preference for solid wood, Theo creates designs intended to age gracefully and be handed down through generations to come.

We recently caught up with Theo to learn about his journey to becoming a furniture designer, time at Rugby School and advice to Rugbeians.

1.      What first sparked your interest in bespoke furniture design, and how did you turn that interest into a career?

I don't remember a time when I wasn't making something. As a child my brothers and I were constantly building dens, making things out of wood or taking things apart to see how they worked. At Rugby I loved DT, and later I became obsessed with designing and building racing drones. Looking back, furniture feels like a natural continuation of all those interests.

2.      Can you describe your journey from leaving Rugby School to becoming a professional furniture designer?

After leaving Rugby I went to study Materials Science at Oxford University. After a short spell as a UAV test pilot and hardware engineer I went into a career as a patent attorney at a top-tier firm in London. I couldn’t fault the firm and did really enjoy being there but despite that something didn’t feel quite right.

Covid unexpectedly gave me the chance to spend some time out of the office and I kept myself extremely busy with a full cottage renovation that I had started at just the right time. I ended up doing everything: laying floors, building cabinets and shelving and even a little plumbing. I was so much happier doing this that I realised it was indeed time for a change and I quit my job and found new employment at the very bottom of a local joinery business where I was tasked with everything from milling up the raw timber to spraying panels and sweeping the floor. It was a good introduction to a professional workshop environment but it was limited in its output – more joinery and lots of square MDF boxes, albeit finished to a high spec.

I decided to go back to the beginning, retraining at Rycotewood Furniture School and giving myself time to explore my more creative side. After two years there I set out on my own and have been going strong ever since. Much of my work draws on natural forms and combines traditional craftsmanship with a fascination for materials that began during my Materials Science degree.

Since then, I have exhibited works at Handmade Chelsea, New Furniture Makers Awards and Mall Galleries, and later this year I will be exhibiting work with the Society of Designer Craftsmen at the Oxo Gallery in London.

I now work from my own workshop in Rutland, designing and making bespoke furniture for private clients alongside sculptural pieces for exhibition.

3.      What does a typical project look like for you, from initial idea to finished piece?

My work is essentially split into two strands. One is direct private commissions, where I’m designing something around a client’s home and how they live. The other is making my own pieces for the simple pleasure of exploring new ideas. I am fortunate that many of these works have now found representation in exhibitions and galleries. These exhibition pieces are predominantly shaped by life around me, whether that is time spent free-diving in Cornwall or the natural world, although some of the best ideas just pop into your head as you are trying to drift off to sleep. Ideas normally sit there until I have breaks in commissions when I can put them into action. Material experimentation also forms an important part of my practice.

The commissioning process is a more collaborative process. It usually begins with an enquiry or meeting, after which I’ll develop and present a series of design concepts in person. We’ll then discuss what resonates - whether it's elements of form, function, or material - so we can hone in on the final concept. In a few instances I have actually milled the client’s own fallen trees for timber to then be used in the project.

From there, I work through the technical aspects: refining proportions, selecting materials, and costing the project accurately. The final design is usually accompanied by detailed drawings or renders to help the client visualise the finished work.

I generally work with solid timber, avoiding manufactured boards where possible, to ensure durability and a piece that will age gracefully. My hope is always that the piece will still be in someone's family in a hundred years' time.

4.      What are the biggest challenges in working as a bespoke furniture designer, and how do you overcome them?

There is so much to do! Time can’t only be spent building beautiful furniture but must instead be shared with marketing and finding work, establishing and maintaining a workshop, visiting galleries and exhibitions, finding and liaising with other craftspeople and managing logistics. Ironically, despite leaving a desk job, I do still spend a huge amount of time at a computer. One of the hardest things initially was finding the work itself, but I was lucky in this respect as I had help from another fellow old Rugbeian to teach me about SEO and managing my website, and this is now very close to generating enough organic enquiries that I don’t have to worry so much about finding the work and any gaps are certainly filled with my own pieces.

5.      What skills or experiences from your time Rugby have been most valuable in your career?

One of the key skills that I think Rugby gave me was confidence in talking to people – entertaining guests at School House lunches may have occasionally felt burdensome at the time but it turns out it’s excellent preparation for sitting in someone’s home discussing a commission worth thousands of pounds!

6.      Were there any particular teachers, subjects, or moments at Rugby that influenced your path and what are your highlights from your time at the School?

I had many great teachers at Rugby. Nick Morse was my housemaster and also my Chemistry teacher and he certainly helped guide me to Oxford which in itself was such a wonderful experience. My only regret is that despite loving DT GCSE I instead followed a more academic path and so fell out of touch with my creative side for too long – I do sometime wonder where I could be had I started down this path 10 years sooner.

7.      What advice would you give to students who are interested in creative or design-based careers?

Absolutely pursue it but do also go into it with your eyes open. It isn’t always an easy journey but I have enjoyed every moment of it. There is more to life than simply making money. If you genuinely enjoy what you do, work becomes something you look forward to. I think it is worth gaining experience in as many places as possible though, so visit all the workshop and studios that you can and meet people who are actually doing the work that you are interested in. To that end I would welcome anyone (students or adults alike) who wanted to visit me at my workshop in Rutland, not too far from Rugby.

AI will undoubtedly change many careers, but I suspect there will always be a place for objects that are designed and made by human hands.

8.      Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self?

I was actually asked exactly this on a podcast recently and realised I didn’t have a clever answer! I don’t have any regrets – I may not have hit upon my final choice of career for a while but I have enjoyed myself and learnt a lot along the way. The world is large and we only have one life so I think just try and experience as much of it as possible and be open to new opportunities and ideas as they present themselves. Most importantly enjoy yourself along the way!

9.      What does the future look like for you and for the bespoke furniture industry more broadly?

Furniture and craft has historically been underrepresented in galleries and the art world but this is starting to change with emergence of galleries like Gallery FUMI, Artisan Alchemy and Charles Burnard. This is combined with a greater awareness of disposable consumer culture and the sustainability side of things with respect to furniture. Too much furniture is made and bought cheaply and then thrown away. In contrast I make furniture that will last for generations and I think increasingly people are seeking this out as they move away from a culture of disposable goods.

Personally, I want to continue pushing further into collectible design, exhibiting internationally and creating increasingly ambitious pieces. At the same time, I never want to lose the satisfaction of making furniture that becomes part of people’s everyday life. For me, the best pieces are still both functional and sculptural.