Edward Johnson Studio designs and makes contemporary bespoke furniture for private clients and design professionals, with a reputation built on precision, material honesty, and exceptional finish. I have worked with Ed over many years, and it is one of the most productive working relationships I have — communication is direct, standards are consistently high, and the upholstery is considered from the start rather than resolved at the end.

Much of the bespoke work I complete for Ed is confidential, but the following pieces give a sense of the collaboration.

Graylingwell Chapel Seating System

Ed approached this project with drawings from the outset, having a clear understanding of how the upholstery would need to behave within his design — something that makes a significant difference to the outcome. The seating system needed to serve a working chapel that regularly reconfigures for different uses, so all the pieces were designed to be fully movable and repositionable. The seat pads are banquette style on boards; the backs are also on boards, and I made a sample at the development stage to demonstrate and test exactly how the construction would work before committing to the full run.

Kitchen Banquette Units & Bespoke Seating

Ed and I have both been keen to move away from conventional modern upholstery materials towards more sustainable alternatives wherever the project allows. The L-shaped kitchen banquette units shown here are a good example: the client wanted to explore sustainable options, so we proposed and used pocket springs and natural latex on boards fitted snugly to a show-wood frame.

On Working Across Two Workshops

One of the consistent challenges — and rewards — of this collaboration is bringing bespoke show-wood frames and upholstered components together from two separate workshops. Tolerances that are straightforward to calculate in timber can be far harder to predict in upholstery, where the compression and behaviour of materials varies. We have both learned a great deal through this process, and I regularly make samples to test the fit and assess how the materials perform before proceeding. It is an understanding that can only really be built through making.

Photo credits: Edward Johnson Studio