History

Cleat Furniture was founded in 2022 by me, Rory Gilmore. I started building furniture out of necessity when we moved house, and soon discovered my love of designing, making and building. Since then I have been honing my skills and finding my unique visual style.

My work fuses traditional and modern techniques to create individual pieces that are as unique as their intended owners. As well as my keen eye for form and function, my work is characterised by the belief that furniture should reflect the people it serves. Just like us, furniture comes with its own blemishes, quirks and imperfections, and just like us, it can be full of stories... and secrets.

Ethos & Sustainability

I’m passionate about minimising waste, and living more sustainably with what we are given; I use British grown hardwood species, and seek to make furniture that is ethically sourced, beautiful and practical. 

“Buy nice, not twice” is my philosophy and something I look to pass on to my customers.

The UK is the second largest importer of hardwoods which is a travesty, given the amount of native species we have in abundance. My mission with Cleat Furniture is to build from felled trees that would otherwise be chipped or burned wherever possible. I source my wood locally from a selection of mills and timber yards in and around London who are committed to repurposing wood that would be traditionally deemed as waste. This gives each piece a uniqueness of spirit that you can’t find in flatpack or mass produced furniture.