Workshop

The processes of design and manufacture come together in making.

Our work is a fluid process and part of an on-going conversation with the client through which ideas take shape and are trimmed and adjusted to take their place in the world.

The co-location of our design studio and our workshop is essential in allowing us to work in this way. Craftsmen and designers cross back and forth over the invisible boundary that often exists between the design and manufacture, in order to ensure that every detail is carried through from the drawing to the workshop.

Design Process +

Talking, sketching, testing, failing, learning and adjusting. Only through this process of refinement through dialogue, measured experimentation and hard work can we achieve a level of quality worthy of our client and the brief. Creative ideas are fragile and to succeed they require considered, rigorous attention and more often than not, collaboration.

Step 1. Listening
Design is a conversation. This starts with an open, informal discussion with the client whereby we begin to establish the basis of a brief. This can be simple and direct, but assumptions on both sides deserve some interrogation. Our first job is to listen to your ideas.

Step 2. Establishing the brief
This can roll on neatly from Step 1 or in larger more complex cases require some initial investigation on our part. We may need to establish the requirement for external consultants. We will refine a scope, a budget and a timeframe. We need to understand your expectations then look for ways to surpass them.

Step 3. Conceptual Design
Once the client is happy with the conceptual designs, they are worked up with the full team, taking a ‘materials first’ approach and ensuring that the method of construction, specification and final budget is finalised by the time drawings are ready to be approved.

Step 4. Fabrication
Only once the client has approved the design, programme and cost will the project move into the workshop for manufacture. A 50% deposit will be taken prior to manufacturing with the remaining payments spread out over the duration of the build. We maintain an on-going dialogue with our clients throughout the entire process, to delivery.

Design, Fabrication to Installation +

All services are driven in-house at our North London studio and workshop.This enables us to offer a streamlined service through the design and testing process to fabrication and installation.

Exploring and Experimentation +

Immediate access to the workshop allows us to take a project from the drawing board into a simple experimental prototype instantaneously.

Creating a tangible prototypes throughout the design process, allows us to explore, test and validate an idea so we can make refinements quickly.

Collaboration +

We deliver exciting, innovative designs and are always interested in finding solutions. We are problem solvers and makers and work closely with collaborators across all projects. We believe strongly in developing new ideas creatively, practically and always with passion.

Sustainability +

We strive to ensure as much of our manufacturing materials are as sustainably sourced as possible. All our timber is sustainably sourced and supplied by FSC certified suppliers. Primarily, Eckford Chong projects and products are both designed and indeed built to last.