William Garvey Limited
When William Garvey started medical school back in 1971, it wasn't long before he decided that medicine wasn't his calling after all, and opted instead for a more hands-on craft-related career. He got off to a great start making decorative cigar and jewellery boxes and his client list included the likes of Harrods, Dunhill and Asprey. In 1976, as the business grew, Bill moved to a 12-acre site at an abandoned Grade II Listed Devon dairy farm.
"The farmstead that we've put life back into is bordered by wonderful countryside, overlooked by an Iron Age fort and surrounded by ancient beech woodland," says Bill. "It may seem like a long way from London or the Middle East but many of our clients are prepared to travel down to Devon to see our quality. Once they're here, the stunning surroundings only add to the feeling that they are having something made for them that is unique and special."
A local company, William Garvey has clients all over the world. "Many people might think that a rural location means a slower pace of work life but that's far from the truth for us as our clients are global," explains Bill. "International interior designers and architects are under pressure from their clients with their own time restrictions. We try to take a light-hearted approach but deadlines have to be met whether they are in the United States, Abu Dhabi, London or Dorset, and negotiating manufacture, delivery and installation for a project in Moscow, for example, comes with some pretty big demands."
But how do these international jet-setters hear about a small company based in Devon? Bill explains that the company has a very strong and loyal client base who tell their friends and colleagues about their work. "Many of our projects lead on from others in that we may do a client's house and they appreciate our craftsmanship, so they ask us to then work on another house or in some cases their yacht."
Working on super-yachts is actually the most challenging of all the jobs that William Garvey gets asked to do by its clients. This, Bill says, is because designing and making furniture which has both quality and durability but which is also lightweight is always challenging. "Many of the pieces also have intricate electronics incorporated into them – for instance, in the wheelhouse – and the amount of cabling that has to be thought about, which can be miles long, can be mind-boggling."
What William Garvey is perhaps best known for is the traditional Japanese Ofuro-style baths that it produces. Surprisingly, the idea was inspired by the traditional Butler-style sinks that Bill was making for businesses like the National Trust. Bill says: "We were always on the lookout for new ideas and saw similarities between the shape of the wooden sinks and basins we were already successfully making and the shape of a traditional Japanese Ofuro bath. It was only a small step from our research and development to the manufacture of our first Geo deep bath, which immediately inspired designers who wanted something special for their discerning clients." Today 15% of the company's overall turnover comes from making teak and cedar bathroom furniture.
What's on the horizon for William Garvey? "We have just finished making and installing bespoke furniture for a spectacular project in Qatar, and another closer to home on the Isle of Man," says Bill. "We're now gearing up for the next exciting and challenging project of two super-yacht interiors, which we will manage while working alongside the many bathroom and wet-room assignments we make on a weekly basis."
William Garvey Limited
When William Garvey started medical school back in 1971, it wasn't long before he decided that medicine wasn't his calling after all, and opted instead for a more hands-on craft-related career. He got off to a great start making decorative cigar and jewellery boxes and his client list included the likes of Harrods, Dunhill and Asprey. In 1976, as the business grew, Bill moved to a 12-acre site at an abandoned Grade II Listed Devon dairy farm.
"The farmstead that we've put life back into is bordered by wonderful countryside, overlooked by an Iron Age fort and surrounded by ancient beech woodland," says Bill. "It may seem like a long way from London or the Middle East but many of our clients are prepared to travel down to Devon to see our quality. Once they're here, the stunning surroundings only add to the feeling that they are having something made for them that is unique and special."
A local company, William Garvey has clients all over the world. "Many people might think that a rural location means a slower pace of work life but that's far from the truth for us as our clients are global," explains Bill. "International interior designers and architects are under pressure from their clients with their own time restrictions. We try to take a light-hearted approach but deadlines have to be met whether they are in the United States, Abu Dhabi, London or Dorset, and negotiating manufacture, delivery and installation for a project in Moscow, for example, comes with some pretty big demands."
But how do these international jet-setters hear about a small company based in Devon? Bill explains that the company has a very strong and loyal client base who tell their friends and colleagues about their work. "Many of our projects lead on from others in that we may do a client's house and they appreciate our craftsmanship, so they ask us to then work on another house or in some cases their yacht."
Working on super-yachts is actually the most challenging of all the jobs that William Garvey gets asked to do by its clients. This, Bill says, is because designing and making furniture which has both quality and durability but which is also lightweight is always challenging. "Many of the pieces also have intricate electronics incorporated into them – for instance, in the wheelhouse – and the amount of cabling that has to be thought about, which can be miles long, can be mind-boggling."
What William Garvey is perhaps best known for is the traditional Japanese Ofuro-style baths that it produces. Surprisingly, the idea was inspired by the traditional Butler-style sinks that Bill was making for businesses like the National Trust. Bill says: "We were always on the lookout for new ideas and saw similarities between the shape of the wooden sinks and basins we were already successfully making and the shape of a traditional Japanese Ofuro bath. It was only a small step from our research and development to the manufacture of our first Geo deep bath, which immediately inspired designers who wanted something special for their discerning clients." Today 15% of the company's overall turnover comes from making teak and cedar bathroom furniture.
What's on the horizon for William Garvey? "We have just finished making and installing bespoke furniture for a spectacular project in Qatar, and another closer to home on the Isle of Man," says Bill. "We're now gearing up for the next exciting and challenging project of two super-yacht interiors, which we will manage while working alongside the many bathroom and wet-room assignments we make on a weekly basis."
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