John Thatcher
furniture maker
John Thatcher - Furniture Maker
John is a Sheffield-based furniture maker with more than 25 years experience. He makes to order and sometimes makes speculative pieces for exhibition. He enjoys collaborations with artists who use wood in their work. He is now semi-retired, but continues to undertake both public and private commissions.
John took up furniture making in 1998 after around 20 years as a Civil Servant working in Jobcentres and their Sheffield-based Head Office. This period included several years working on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, after which John decided to have a go at self-employment himself.
His workshop usually opens up to the public over the 3rd weekend of November. He is a member of "Northern Contemporary Furniture Makers" and "Yorkshire Artspace".
John's furniture is deliberately simple in form. He uses both traditional and modern construction techniques to shape and join locally sourced hardwoods and sheet materials from sustainable sources. His designs emphasise the natural grain patterns and features in the wood:
“Good product design should avoid or at least minimise the potential for damage to the environment. A chair, for example, must satisfy a real need. It should be considered beautiful so as to encourage the owner to cherish it, and thereby maximise the life of the piece. It should also be relatively easy to take apart, so as to facilitate repair or re-use when no longer needed."
alastair fuad-luke "the eco-design handbook" 2002
When a commission enquiry is made John offers to visit the client in their home to measure up and get a sense of what is required. A design proposal and cost estimate is then compiled for the client to consider. When a final design, costing & time frame has been agreed, a 30% deposit is requested. The remaining amount is payable on delivery to the satisfaction of the client. Most projects take around 6 weeks from agreement to delivery.
Education
1996 - 1998
City & Guilds Furniture, The Sheffield College
Group Exhibitions
2019
2018
2014
2013
2012
2011
2009
2008
Art in the Home / Kommune / Sheffield
Art in the Home / Yorkshire Artspace / Sheffield
Splinter / Art Lacuna / Battersea London
Makers / Cube / Manchester
Celebration of Craftsmanship & Design / Cheltenham
Northern Contemporary Furniture Makers / Liverpool Design Show
Working Woodlands Ltd / Art in the Gardens / Sheffield
Northern Contemporary Furniture Makers / Tennants / Leyburn North Yorkshire
Contact Me:
Studio 6, Yorkshire Artspace
Persistence Works
21 Brown Street
Sheffield, S1 2BS