About me

I live and work in the beautiful North Somerset countryside, just outside Bristol.  After a career in law and having had the chance to work with a number of inspiring furniture makers and teachers I set up Norris Riley Furniture to follow my passion for making wooden furniture.

My constant challenge and inspiration is to work with clients to design then make useful furniture that respects the timber and showcases its natural beauty. My approach varies. Sometimes I design the piece then spend time finding the perfect wood to make it from. Other times I find a piece of wood full of character and hang onto it until the perfect project comes along. My aim is to create functional furniture with simple, elegant lines and fine attention to detail which allows the wood to speak for itself and which will last for generations.

Virtually all of the wood I use is sourced in the UK.  I particularly enjoy using wood from trees that have grown locally and either been felled by storms or have come to the end of their natural lives. The cot and chest of drawers on the projects page are examples of this kind of work.

I use a mix of modern and traditional techniques and take particular inspiration from the Cotswold School of the Arts and Crafts movement, in particular the work of Ernest Gimson and the Barnsley brothers. I’m also influenced by the 20th Century North American craft movement, especially the work of George Nakashima and his spiritual approach to the use of wood in furniture making.