Simple furniture, beautifully made

In keeping with its founding philosophy, 'simple furniture, beautifully made', where pieces are tailored to the requirements of a room and the individual commissioning it, James Mayor Furniture, the Birmingham based designer and manufacturer of truly bespoke and entirely British-made pieces launched an original and elegant range of handles at this year's prestigious Decorex Exhibition in London.

James Mayor commissioned the Armac Martin Manufacture and Design team in Nechells, Birmingham to produce and bring to life his design.

The initial brief called for drawings, prototypes, and finished production of 18 pieces to be fixed to the furniture for the Exhibition in 6 weeks. This was achieved without any problem due to James’s tight brief and the skills and technology utilised by the Armac Martin workforce. The smaller of the two handles has a rod diameter of 11mm and disc diameter of 33mm while the larger of the two sees these proportions increase to 13mm and 37mm respectively.

Finished in antique brass, which looks wonderful anywhere, as well as polished nickel, for a sleeker, more contemporary feel, the handles offer maximum design flexibility. The rods can be cut to any length too which gives clients further options when creating their individual look.

The stepped edges of the circular discs are the only overtly decorative feature of the handles providing interest when viewed from straight on: they reflect the light on the polished nickel versions whilst adding to the hand crafted character of the antique brass hardware. Designed as an exclusive finishing touch, the ends also feature the James Mayor Furniture name, discretely engraved for posterity.

James Mayor, founder of the furniture company that carries his name, says: "We're very excited about this new addition to our range. Genuine craftsmanship and an absolute passion for design are what we're about and these handles encapsulate both aspects of our approach. They are stylish, individual and timeless, just like the pieces they'll adorn."

"We've worked hard to preserve the beautiful organic quality of the shape whilst ensuring that the ease of function matches the aesthetics of the form and we're thrilled with the results. The handles featured on two pieces of furniture at Decorex; one highlighting the polished nickel finish and the other demonstrating the antique brass look.

Gary Barnes the Armac Martin Sales Manager commented “To meet James and discuss his hand drawn sketches and then visit the Exhibition to view the wonderful finished handles on the furniture is probably the ultimate in job satisfaction and the more commissioned exclusive drawings that land on my desk the better!“

Mayor concludes: "With limited space, it'll be hard to get over just how versatile this range can be but we believe that it has tremendous potential. In a bedroom, for instance, ultra long rods provide a contemporary feel whereas a shorter handle helps create a more traditional look, perhaps complementing other furniture like dressing tables or chests of drawers. The ability to mix handle lengths to suit different sized cupboard doors is important in a kitchen whilst smaller handles are better suited to living rooms or studies. And that's before you even factor in the huge choice of Armac Martin finishes."

Brass cast and hand finished, the handles are fabricated by Armac Martin who count amongst their clients of similar products Mark Wilkinson, Smallbone Kitchens, Aga Group, Vaughan Lighting, Bella Figura and other leading designers and craftsmen.

For more information: Visit www.jamesmayorfurniture.com and www.armacmartin.co.uk