Why Searle & Taylor Recommend Gabriella James Bar Stools
Darren Taylor, Searle & Taylor Managing Director
For over 20 years, the statement kitchen island has been a major feature in most of the kitchens we have designed and there is very little chance that this trend will ever disappear. Most kitchen islands are designed to be multifunctional, the hub of the kitchen and an area for relaxed socialising. More often than not we design a seating area, be it a breakfast bar, a recessed space under the worktop or an extended worktop, all created for bar stool seating beneath. Now we can include the bar stools within the design, as they comprise an integral part of the kitchen’s day-to-day functionality.
Last year, I was contacted by Felicity Randolph, the founder of Gabriella James, Chairmakers, a family business that specialises in bespoke bar stools and dining chairs. She is a member of the List by House and Garden, the directory of the best interior design companies in the UK and, happily, so is Searle & Taylor. Together with her daughter Ella, who also works within the business as head of brand, they came to visit the Winchester showroom with their stunning bespoke bar stool designs that are made-to-order.
Gabriella James, Chairmakers have approached their bespoke bar stool designs from the perspective of the kitchen island that the stools are going to be sitting beneath, excuse the pun. They had considered that not all kitchen islands are the same dimensions, so their bespoke bar stools are all height-adjustable to perfectly suit the counter height. They can also be hand-painted in any colour to complement an existing living space. Together with their Signature and Portfolio fabric collections, many by British artisan textile designers, the company can also upholster stools in a client’s own fabrics - a truly bespoke service.
I now own and display bar stools from Gabriella James, Chairmakers in my showroom and I personally own dining chairs from them too. I can vouch that they are incredibly comfortable. The soft seats all contain 100% natural materials including sustainably sourced natural latex, pure wool and ginger coir stuffings and they are ideal for use any time of the day or night, from breakfast with the family to entertaining friends. I am very pleased to be the first kitchen retailer to partner with Gabriella James, Chairmakers and their bespoke bar stools can be ordered direct from Searle & Taylor. I currently have two designs in my showroom, the Ella Bar Stool and the Turner Counter stool,which are included as part of our displays, however there are more designs that can be viewed on their website
As part of your kitchen plans, we can include your bar stool designs to see how they will look before you purchase. In addition, if you are considering a kitchen diner than we can design and make the freestanding dining table as part of our Signature Bespoke offer. And now, we can also suggest the ideal dining chairs from Gabriella James, Chairmakers as well.