L. & J. G. Stickley: L. & J. G. Stickley was founded in 1902 by Leopold and John George Stickley after having worked with their brother Gustav. They drew their inspiration form many of his designs. Their furniture was designed to be honest; a reaction against the fake joinery, unnecessary gaudiness, and shoddy workmanship of mass production. It all uses solid construction, 'what-you-see-is-what-you-get' joinery, and the highest quality woods combined with elegant designs, that are beautiful to look at, practical, exceedingly strong and long-lasting

Oak: The most British of woods, that can produce really special results. Oak has been used for hundreds of years to construct everything from sea-going vessels to fine furniture. Quarter sawn boards are very straight grained and have distinctive growth rings and medullary rays that give a very beautiful effect as well as being renowned for their superior stability and strength

Arts and Crafts Mission School furniture is designed with clean simple elegant lines and panels that accentuate the grain of the wood (often quartersawn oak) and show off the craftsman involved in making them. Founded in America when people were looking for alternatives the excesses of Victorian times and the influx of mass-produced furniture from the Industrial Revolution. Gustav Stickley, L. & J.G. Stickley (Gustav Stickley's brothers) and Charles Limbert are probably the best known makers, with their work all being to a very high standard and is now highly sought after