Nicholas Olliffe

After graduating from Rycotewood college in 1990 Nicholas went on to complete a 5 year apprenticeship with John Makepeace at Parnham House in Dorset. Since completing this he has gone on to work for several leading designer makers both in England and abroad. After managing a successful workshop in Oxfordshire for 8 years he decided to set-up his own workshop in January 2005 in a lovely rural location in the heart of the Cotswolds. He heads a small team of craftsmen and apprentices creating one-off bespoke pieces both for corporate and private clients.

Nicholas Olliffe Ltd consists of a team of craftsmen lead by Nicholas and supervised by a workshop manager ensuring quality is maintained at all times. It is important to the company that the skills and techniques are passed onto the younger generation, therefore, we employ a local apprentice to work alongside our qualified team of cabinet makers and who attends college once a week. This ensures techniques and hand skills are taught and the craft of furniture making continues.

My background and passion has always been for making both traditional well-made pieces of furniture and experimental modern pieces. When commissioned by our clients we produce design concepts which then evolve into real pieces of furniture that exceed the client's expectations. Using both scale and full size drawings and mockups every proportion and detail is checked to ensure the final piece meets both our own and client's high expectations using only the best timbers and veneers. Our team of craftsmen and apprentices use traditional hand techniques alongside modern machinery to produce wonderful items of furniture from conception to completion, which they and the company are very proud of.

We provide architects with a full support service to assist them to exceed their client's expectations. We are happy to work from existing drawings or produce our own using CAD to help bring concepts to reality. Advice will be offered on the selection of the correct materials and construction techniques to fit the project's budget and give longevity to the final piece/product. Our 3,000sq ft workshop is located in a rural setting in the heart of the Cotswolds and is well equipped with a mixture of both classic and modern machinery, complemented by a team of craftsmen helping us to create both modern and traditional pieces of exceptional quality.

At Nicholas Olliffe Ltd we make the creation of your new kitchen both an enjoyable and simple process. Our workshop in Clanfield, Oxfordshire has no fancy show room but at any time throughout the process you are welcome to come and see your kitchen being made. We are confident the finished bespoke product will be both timeless and made to the highest standard by our craftsmen, using both hand skills and modern machinery. Every part of the kitchen is constructed to a high standard and guaranteed for 20 years.

Working closely with our clients we produce design concepts, which then evolve into real pieces of furniture. These are created using both traditional and modern techniques to ensure the final result exceeds the individual client's expectations. We also install all fitted furniture to ensure the quality is maintained from start to finish. We specialise in producing bespoke joinery, either matching the original down to the mouldings, or working from architects plans. We use both traditional and modern techniques and timbers.

Having built up good working relationships with local plumbers, electricians and tilers it was a natural transition for us to offer the complete service to both our private and professional clients. Where required our in-house painter can be used. From an initial briefing we can provide a "Budget Estimate" and if agreeable can produce scale Cad drawings, source all items required to achieve the high quality standard we are renowned for. Working in porcelain, ceramic or natural stone, installing under floor heating or adapting existing pipe work, our experienced team can carry out the project quickly and efficiently.

It can be a daunting prospect undertaking a renovation or internal make-over of a property. Engaging us to manage your project will provide you with a single point of contact for the duration of the work and give you peace of mind that we are looking after the agreed budget, ordering materials, scheduling trades and checking that quality is maintained. Good project management will avoid costly delays. Having worked with many architects we are now qualified to take on both large and small scale projects.

Working with private clients, builders and architects we pride ourselves in producing some of the most exceptional quality joinery items. Typical projects include be-spoke internal and external doors, windows, conservatories and staircases. We have worked on many listed and historical buildings, using traditional skills and techniques to reproduce mouldings and renovate original joinery. All our joinery leaves the workshop only after all casements have been hand fitted to each opening. Locks and ironmongery are fitted and tested.