Meet the Showroom: Kingcome
If you’ve visited the Colefax and Fowler showroom recently, you will have noticed that it now walks through into a new showroom housing sister brand Kingcome. Its sofas, chairs and stools come in both traditional and contemporary styles, all hand-made in Devon using upholstery skills that are second to none, as you would expect from a parent company that also includes leading fabric brands Colefax and Fowler, Jane Churchill, Manuel Canovas and Larsen. Here, the group’s commercial director Tim Green explains more about the craftsmanship that goes into every piece, why it’s important to try before you buy – and the sofa design feature that’s trending above all others.
What brought Kingcome to Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour?
Kingcome has a long history of working with interior designers on furniture for their interior projects and we see a showroom at the Design Centre – connected to our Colefax and Fowler showroom – as the best way to showcase our products, nurture those relationships and also make new ones.
What should people expect from the showroom?
We have designed a large, airy and open-plan showroom [pictured above] where there is space to appreciate our sofas, chairs and stools from every angle. A calm environment, with space to scheme and select fabrics for the furniture and select any customisations needed. We show a wide variety of models that express the different cushion fillings and styles of furniture we make, from classical to contemporary.
Why should customers visit in person as opposed to looking/buying online?
You really must try a Kingcome sofa. They are designed with supportive comfort in mind. Our experienced sales team can talk through all of the elements to consider when buying a sofa or chair and help to customise a piece to suit particular needs and specifications. You can easily select a piece online, but you can only experience the feel in the showroom.
What’s your brand’s design philosophy?
We believe in the life-enhancing value of fine furniture, handmade in the English tradition. We pride ourselves on our personalised service, our meticulous care, and our attention to detail, quality and longevity. Kingcome is a close-knit company and many of our expert craftsmen and women have been with us for decades. They’re proud to pass on their cherished skills to a new generation of young artisans, who continue our fine furniture making traditions.
We use our skills to ensure that each piece of handcrafted furniture reflects your individual tastes and personality, sourcing only the best materials to create customised and bespoke furniture.
Is there a ‘hero’ product that you feel sums up your brand, or that’s been a long-standing bestseller?
Our ‘Stratford’ model [pictured above] is consistently popular, due in part to its Georgian-inspired design but also to how well it scales to fit any interior: a small two seater for a cottage or a grand three seater for a larger home. However some of our more contemporary models such at the ‘Hugo’ sofa with its curved shape, are quickly growing in popularity.
Are there broad design trends in your industry that you are embracing?
We have certainly seen an increase in skirts on sofas over the last year!
What craftsmanship or innovation goes into Kingcome’s furniture?
Every piece of Kingcome furniture is imbued with the finest skills of the English furniture making tradition. “Handmade in England” means just that. Our craftspeople, whose disciplines range from cabinetmaking, carpentry, wood turning and polishing, to pattern cutting, upholstery, machine sewing, and hand sewing, hand make each piece of furniture in our workshop in the heart of Devon.
Every piece that leaves the workshop is built to stand the test of time. Our classic designs, often realised with a contemporary twist, ensure our handmade sofas and chairs become treasured heirlooms.
