Yours For The Making with Robin Johnson

Robin Johnson speaks with Louis Rhoades of Louis Rhoades Studio about scaling a bespoke joinery business from a one man workshop to a structured, design led studio. They break down pricing to the penny, profitability between two and four staff, why growth from four to ten is brutal, and how value beats cost when you invest in CNC, spray finishing and FUGA Hydro substrates.
This episode tackles hospitality versus residential work, outsourcing risk, honest client communication, proportion in design, and the stress that comes with ambition. A direct conversation between two workshop owners on craftsmanship, margins, ethics and long term thinking in British furniture making.
Key Topics Covered
Scaling from solo maker to small team
Profitability at two to four staff versus four to ten
Day rate calculation using fixed and variable overheads
Hospitality niche versus high end residential pricing
Value versus cost in bespoke joinery
CNC machining, solid edge banding and spray booth investment
Hydro Fuga MDF and veneered construction
Design first process and shop drawings
Outsourcing risk and quality control
Proportion, symmetry and timeless furniture design
Stress, cash flow fear and business resilience

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Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 Scaling from one man workshop to small team
04:25 Why employing friends rarely works
08:09 Hospitality versus residential pricing realities
11:07 Value proposition and stepping away from tenders
24:58 Outsourcing failures and bringing processes in house
30:12 Investing in CNC and spray finishing for output and control
33:57 Calculating day rates and defining real value
45:15 Design ethics, legacy and avoiding disposable furniture
01:01:12 Hydro Fuga, veneering and modern wardrobe design
01:17:42 Craft standards, minor defects and client honesty
01:21:37 Advice to a younger self on stress and growth

In this episode of Yours for the Making Robin Johnson speaks with Louisa Pacifico, founder of Future Icons about how makers turn skill into a viable business without undercutting their value. Louisa explains why premium craft succeeds through fewer higher value sales rather than volume, and why many artisans struggle because they price emotionally rather than commercially.
The conversation covers gallery relationships, press strategy licensing contracts and the importance of knowing when to say no. Louisa also discusses her role curating Future Icons Selects during London Craft Week and how makers should approach shows with clarity, purpose and realistic expectations. This episode offers practical insight for craftspeople who want longevity rather than noise.
Key Topics Covered
What Future Icons does for established makers
Pricing premium craft correctly
Understanding audience and market fit
Fewer sales higher margins business model
Why saying no protects long term value
Gallery introductions and exhibition strategy
Licensing work with international brands
Legal contracts and intellectual property
Press coverage and media positioning
Apprenticeships internships and education routes
Funding grants and bursaries for makers
Curating Future Icons Selects for London Craft Week

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 What Future Icons does and why it exists
03:00 Pricing problems in the craft sector
08:44 Knowing when not to do a show
15:27 Value based pricing versus cheap tenders
20:20 Learning business by doing
24:55 Funding education and apprenticeships
34:52 Curating Future Icons Selects
42:08 Regional buyers and gallery strategy
50:46 Advice to young makers
52:10 How to contact Louisa & Future Icons

In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson speaks with Marina Dragomirova and Iain Howlett, founders of Studio Furthermore about their Moon Rock Project and the long road of material driven design. They explain how six years of experimentation led to an aluminium foam made from recycled car wheels and how that material became a cabinet unveiled in Miami that shocked audiences when opened.
The conversation covers material failure, foundry collaboration, storytelling in collectible design and the limits of photography in conveying physical work. Marina and Iain also discuss gallery relationships, sustainability futurism and their next chapter working with Japanese craftsmen on laminated plywood furniture. This episode offers a clear view of how new materials become meaningful objects through patience, research and conviction.
Key Topics Covered
The Moon Rock Project and aluminium foam development
Using recycled car wheels as raw material
Designing furniture through material research
Creating shock and transformation through form
Foundry collaboration and long term partnerships
Pushing thinness scale and structural limits
Art furniture fairs and collector audiences
Storytelling in collectible design
Sustainability futurism and science driven aesthetics
Working with galleries and curators
The limits of photography and the need for physical experience
New work with Japanese craftsmen and plywood furniture

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 Introducing Studio Furthermore and Moon Rock
03:58 The Miami cabinet and the shock reveal
07:01 Foundry collaboration and process control
13:11 Scaling up and thinking beyond furniture
20:38 Early ceramic foam experiments
35:10 RCA influence and material research
46:18 Storytelling and selling collectible design
1:01:19 Working with Japanese...

In this episode of Yours for the Making Robin Johnson speaks with Steve Briggs, founder of Briggs and Sons Masonry about conservation led stone masonry and the realities of scaling a heritage business. Steve explains why retaining original fabric matters, how church and listed building work demands restraint and judgement, and why replacement comes last. The conversation covers running a contracting arm alongside a consultancy for listed homes, navigating consent and surveys, training the next generation, and choosing culture and quality over rapid turnover. This episode offers a grounded view of craft led growth in the UK heritage sector.
Key Topics Covered
Church restoration and heritage conservation
Retaining original fabric in historic buildings
Stone masonry brickwork leadwork and roofs
Listed building consents surveys and maintenance plans
Running contracting and consultancy businesses together
Rejecting short term fixes in favour of longevity
Training trainees and paying for learning time
Scaling from small teams to sustainable growth
Protecting company culture during expansion
Customer care over chasing turnover
Learning craft through family and experience
The future of heritage skills in the UK

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.

Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.

Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.

Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 Introducing Steve Briggs and conservation masonry
02:10 Keeping original fabric wherever possible
05:40 Church restoration realities
09:15 Running contracting and consultancy work
13:30 Listed building consents and surveys
18:45 Scaling teams and managing growth pain
24:20 Training trainees properly
30:05 Culture over turnover
35:40 Learning craft through family
41:10 Sustainability in heritage businesses
46:30 Attracting the next generation

In this episode of Yours for the Making Robin Johnson speaks with Robin Redmile-Gordon, Director of Ichi-Coo Park, about building a life shaped by creativity and long term thinking. Robin shares how transforming Russ Hill Farm into a vast garden and living artwork helped him stay sane while running a global IT company. The conversation moves through craftsmanship collaboration and why clear briefs unlock exceptional work from skilled people. Robin offers a blunt critique of modern education and exam driven learning, argues for apprenticeships rooted in real work, and explains why holistic learning matters more than qualifications.
Robin also discusses AI as a practical tool for thinking diagnosis and productivity, shares his experience of living with terminal blood cancer and the role of Turkey Tail mushrooms, and outlines ideas for a future where skills, purpose and creativity matter more than bureaucracy. This episode challenges conventional thinking and defends making as a meaningful way to live.
Key Topics Covered
Building Itchy Park as a living artwork
Long term collaboration with craftspeople
Value over cost in bespoke work
Clear briefs and creative freedom
Gardening as a form of art
Escaping stress through making and landscape
Apprenticeships and skills based learning
Failures of exam focused education
Holistic learning and curiosity driven teaching
Teaching through real work not theory
AI as a practical tool for thinking and diagnosis
Critique of fear around artificial intelligence
Living with terminal blood cancer
Turkey Tail mushrooms and blood health

Purpose identity and creating meaningful work
Clip Fest and community making events

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its