Gateshead furniture company opens its doors in Chelsea

North East furniture crafting house The Original Sofa Company has opened its first London showroom in Chelsea.

The firm is known for producing some of the world’s finest Chesterfields sofas and has several international VIP clients including Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs, Gladiator actress Connie Nielson and director Will Butler Sloss.

The Original Sofa Company in Gateshead is the only crafting house in Britain to produce top of the range artisan sofas and chairs entirely using 19th Century hand crafted methods and materials.

Its new showroom on Lower Sloane Street will be nestled in amongst some of the world’s finest brands including Harrods, Prada and the famous Saatchi Gallery.

It has created bespoke pieces for the castle of a Saudi oil baron, Harvard University’s staff faculty and the Urban Retreat at Harrods, as well as making the fabulous gold leather sofa for Alan Carr’s Chatty Man.

However the company’s crafting house and second showroom will remain at Team Valley, Gateshead with the addition of two new upholsterers and opportunities for new apprenticeships in the pipeline.

Company director David Robinson, said: “The new showroom is incredibly exciting. Everybody knows Lower Sloane Street and its association with luxury and for us, it’s a home from home.

“Once the London showroom is established, we will be looking at New York and Beijing next.”

“There’s nothing like what we do already out there. We don’t believe in mass production. Our products are quite literally crafted on a personal level for our clients.

We want our furniture going through Christie’s doors in 50 to 80 years time, as these legacy pieces will be the antiques of the future.“