The sycamore worktop that took three attempts

Every job starts the same way: a visit, a tape measure, a long conversation about how the room is actually used. The drawings come after that, never before. It is slower than pricing from a floor plan, and it is the reason our kitchens fit the house rather than the other way round.

What the timber decides

Oak moves. Walnut fades in strong sunlight. Ash takes a stain evenly but shows every tool mark if you rush it. None of that is a problem if you know it before you cut, so a good part of the first week on any job is spent choosing boards and letting them settle in the workshop.

Measure twice, cut once is the saying. In practice it is measure three times and cut when the timber is ready.

On site

We fit our own work. It means the person who made the piece is the person who scribes it to a wall that is nowhere near straight, and there is no second team to hand the difficult bits to.

• Solid timber and veneered board, chosen per job
• Hand-cut joints where they will be seen
• Finished in the workshop, fitted by the maker

If you would like to talk about a project, the kettle is usually on.