Chair-maker Chair-maker Since the mid-17th century a chair-maker, or chairbler, is a craftsman in the furniture trades specializing in chairs. Before that time seats were made by joiners, turners, and coffermakers, and woven seats were made by basketmakers. In 18th-century London, chair-makers might work on their own account, or within the workshop of upholders, as members of the upholstery trade were called. In 1803 Thomas Sheraton observed a division of labour that was of long standing in London and county towns: "Chair-making is a branch generally confined to itself, as those who professedly work at it, seldom engage to make cabinet
Matthew Hilton (designer) Matthew Hilton (designer) Matthew Hilton (born 1957) is a British furniture designer of "modern" furniture and lighting. Hilton attended Portsmouth College of Art and then Kingston Polytechnic graduating in 1979. After graduation he was an industrial designer and model maker until 1984. In 1991, he designed the "Balzac Armchair" for SCP Limited, a company started by Sheridan Coakley in 1985 and now based in Shoreditch, London. Between 2000 and 2004 Hilton was Habitat's Head of Furniture design, and his furniture is held in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Geffrye Museum, London, and the Manchester