Us - Rickard Furniture

About Us

Tim and Max’s love of trees and timber began in childhood, growing up on edge of the Cotswold escarpment in Gloucestershire. Woods stretched for miles behind the family home. Here they made numerous tree-dens, carts, skis and stilts; longbows, arrows and a vicious crossbow; model boats and aeroplanes too – all from materials close at hand and with their dad’s hand tools, mainly his machete.

This was a grounding in the art of the possible and the sheer joy of fettling, bodging and making something from scratch. At the same time, they were learning the nature of trees and their timber and the skills of woodland management.

Perhaps it was in the blood. Their great-grandfather was an estates carpenter and they still refer to his beautifully engraved book while his well-worn tools are in daily use.

Tim began making furniture soon after leaving Oxford university and, after a career in publishing, set up as a professional furniture maker and opened his first workshop in London.

Later Max took over his workshop and Tim returned to Gloucestershire to set up new workshops in the cider mill and cruck barn of a medieval farm. Here he cultivates and uses home-grown and converted timber, – oak, lime, holly, walnut, maple, cherry and coppiced ash – mainly for sculpture, turning and model-making.

Max, a graduate of Cardiff University, has always worked in creative industries and mid-career made the leap full-time into woodworking. He trained at West Dean College under furniture designer-maker Tom Kealy, and later with Sussex master carpenter Paulus Smith where he honed his furniture-making skills.

Today, Rickard Furniture design and make furniture to commission – from dressers to dining tables, from beds to coffee tables – as far as possible using home grown and native species timber.

With workshops in West Wales and Gloucestershire, they are well placed to serve clients in Wales and the South West of England.

Client Testimonials

We would highly recommend Rickard Furniture for their bespoke service, craftsmanship and outstanding customer focus. Having moved to Pembrokeshire recently we wanted a coffee table, in a Scandi style, for our modern, spacious living room. Although we had searched online and visited various stores we couldn’t find anything that really suited us. Rickard Furniture’s website appeared to offer a solution: modern and traditional furniture crafted in conjunction with the client. An initial phone conversation and a Zoom meeting supported their website assertion of offering a bespoke service. Furniture maker Max Rickard discussed in detail our requirements, listening carefully and offering suggestions and alternatives as the relationship developed. His initial designs, based on our ideas, were inspired by the Danish furniture designer Johannes Andersen. They perfectly matched our expectations and it was a pleasure to be involved in the process. We had a preference for a light-coloured wood, possibly Ash, which Max was able to source from his contacts. The finished table is intrinsically beautiful and exceeded our expectations. We use and enjoy this special piece of furniture in its prominent position every day.

“ When we decided to install an Aumbry in Holy Trinity Church in Cuckfield our architect suggested that we approached Max Rickard to design and build the outer case. We needed something that would be sympathetic to the variety of existing architectural and decorative styles in the chancel yet be able to stand in its own right as a significant embellishment to the building. Thanks to the diligent care and craftsmanship that Rickard furniture bring to their work we now have a beautiful piece of bespoke furniture adorning the chancel, within which to reserve the sacrament. It has been a delight to work with a craftsman with such a passion for his work. The meticulous detailing and use of contrasting woods have produced an almost timeless and beautiful work of art. “

“If you are looking for a sensitive, talented and passionate craftsman, look no further. Tim applied precision and creativity to wonderful pieces of wood to create a unique and eye-catching piece. Tim was a joy to discuss ideas with and once we established the intended uses and size, he devised the ingenious personalised form of our combined initials for the legs. The process as a customer was a pleasure and I took home a beautiful 'family heirloom'. This small table is a veritable objet d'art.”

"We have used Rickard Furniture many times over the years and are always happy to recommend them. They are skilled and versatile, good communicators and nothing is too much trouble. We are particularly pleased with our kitchen island and the panelling to our stairwell is a daily delight."

"Excellent furniture maker with great attention to detail. We needed a bespoke kitchen unit (cupboard with fiddly drawers) for an unusual location in our kitchen. Rickard Furniture took us from initial drawings and selection of wood to produce a beautiful pine unit that fits brilliantly in the space. Max is really passionate about his furniture making. We were very happy with the RF work and have subsequently employed them again."

"Rickard Furniture managed to achieve the impossible, creating a beautiful ‘new’ table by re-making an old table which had been ‘got at’. With amazing attention to detail, Max faithfully retained the character of the ‘old’ table, combining the weathered tabletop with new legs that he designed to echo the style of the old. Clear communication at every step of the design process, skilled craftsmanship, great value for money and a brilliant result: we love our new ‘old’ table!"

The last word from Elena of London, about the restoration of her delightful and peerless Hans Wegner Rocking Chair ...

"I just wanted to say thank you again for restoring my rocking chair. You explained everything carefully and were so thorough in your research and attention to detail. I could really feel your passion and excitement with the project and can honestly say that the experience was absolutely brilliant from start to finish (safe Hans!)"

Timber and the Environment

We use our own home-grown timber when we can but there is a limited amount available. For bought-in stock we endeavour to use timber from either FSC and/or PEFC certified sources.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo on a wood or wood-based product is your assurance that it is made with, or contains, wood that comes from FSC certified forests or from post-consumer waste.

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organisation which promotes sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification. It is considered the certification system of choice for small forest owners.