Celebrating 30 years in business: Chiselwood

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When Mel and Martin Holliday founded Chiselwood in 1989 it was the principles of craftsmanship, quality and authenticity that fuelled their joint passion to live and work in Lincoln and create exquisitely-crafted kitchens and furniture from their own workshop which they established in a converted brewery adjacent to their home in Saxilby.

Demand for bespoke pieces grew as discerning clients turned away from mass production and the handmade aesthetic of each piece, designed by Martin, stood out among the standard units and “jigsaw puzzle” approach of other manufacturers.

Managing Director, Mel said: “In the national kitchen market in the UK we are relatively tiny, but we do have a voice.

Martin Holliday, founder of Chiselwood and his wife Mel. Photo: Steve Smailes for CityX

“It’s a voice that says you can’t beat high quality craftsmanship, and in an era when we want to know where our furniture comes from, who makes it and the skill involved in its creation, it’s an appealing message and the key to our success.”

Regular national magazine features and some significant national and international design awards, most notably the sole European kitchen manufacturer to reach the finals of the Sub Zero/Wolf Kitchen Design Awards in the USA, now ensures a loyal national and international client base.

Last month saw their work throughout a local manor house featured over 12 pages in the UK’s leading luxury kitchen magazine and recent projects include the largest new build villa in the Caribbean and a client’s second home in Portugal.

Martin Holliday, founder of Chiselwood. Photo: Steve Smailes for CityX

The majority of Chiselwood’s kitchen and furniture projects are still within Lincolnshire though, something Mel and Martin are particularly proud of as their loyal local clientele return to commission new projects or recommend them to friends and family.

Martin added: “Our clients have now become more tuned into how they want things made and the ability to see our highly skilled cabinet makers at work in our own Saxilby workshop making their individual pieces of furniture is essential to the process.

“I don’t want to make things that become obsolete; they need to be high quality, timeless and uncompromising.”

To celebrate this milestone in the company’s history, Martin will be designing a limited number of bespoke pieces which will be unveiled through the year.

To mark 30 years, Chisewood will also be building 6 Eco 4-bed houses on the canal side in Saxilby this year, Fossdyke Paddock featuring innovative design and build concepts and exceptional interior space and of course bespoke Chiselwood cabinetry.