Yours For The Making with Robin Johnson

After 24 years in fashion, Sophie changed direction and built Côte de Folk from scratch, eventually earning recognition from House and Garden.
In this episode of Yours for the Making, Sophie Rowell joins Robin Johnson to discuss career reinvention, renovating period properties, working with architects and craftspeople, and designing homes around how people actually live. She also shares why renovation budgets need contingency, why she avoids photorealistic AI renders, and how trust creates space for original design.
Sophie also reveals the thinking behind Le Dot fabric, her playful fabric collection bringing colour, curves and personality into interiors.

Key Topics Covered
✦ Sophie Rowell's career change from fashion to interior design
✦ Building Côte de Folk from the first client to House and Garden recognition
✦ The three year transformation of The Red House
✦ Collaboration between designers, architects and craftspeople
✦ Why every renovation budget needs contingency
✦ Interior designers versus architects and where their roles differ
✦ Making existing spaces work harder instead of simply making them bigger
✦ Creating original interiors without copying Pinterest and magazines
✦ Why Sophie avoids photorealistic AI renders
✦ Building a small interior design studio around flexibility and collaboration
✦ Creating Le Dot fabric collection and bringing playfulness into interiors

Check out Sophie Rowell in Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cotedefolk/
Check out Côte de Folk:
https://www.cotedefolk.com/

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.
Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg

Key Moments:
00:00 Sophie Rowell's 24 year career in fashion
01:48 The life change that pushed Sophie towards interior design
04:13 Landing her first client three weeks before her deadline
05:45 The Red House project that transformed her career
12:39 Why collaboration drives Côte de Folk's design process
20:27 Why renovation projects need contingency
30:10 Architects versus interior designers
32:33 Why bigger homes do not always work better
38:21 How Sophie develops an interior around the people living there
40:58 Why trust creates better design
43:45 Why Sophie refuses photorealistic AI renders
55:09 Why Sophie abandoned her goal of building a larger team
57:04 Creating Le Dot fabric collection
1:00:42 Sophie's advice to her 18 year old self

What does it take to turn a tired country hotel into a destination people genuinely want to return to?
In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson sits down with Chris King, founder of Crafted, to explore the transformation of PowderMills in Battle, East Sussex. Set around a seven acre lake on the site of a former gunpowder mill, Crafted brings together boutique hospitality, bold interior design, British craftsmanship, wellness, food and community.
Chris shares the thinking behind the hotel’s transformation, from trusting bold design decisions and commissioning local craftspeople to creating a lakeside sauna, cold water swimming area, padel courts, pottery workshops and spaces designed for social connection.
They discuss the realities of building a new hospitality brand from scratch, supporting British makers, sourcing food locally, creating memorable guest experiences and making major investment decisions when there is no guarantee they will work.
Chris also explains why Crafted is being built as a social catalyst. With remote work and changing lifestyles leaving many people increasingly isolated, the aim is to create opportunities for guests and members to meet, try new things and build genuine connections.
It is a conversation about hospitality, craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and what happens when every detail of a physical space is considered through the eyes of the person who will actually use it.

Key Topics Covered
✦ Transforming PowderMills into Crafted
✦ Building a distinctive boutique hotel brand
✦ Bold interior design and taking creative risks
✦ Working with British craftspeople and local makers
✦ Reclaimed timber, handmade ceramics and bespoke furniture
✦ Sauna, cold water swimming and padel
✦ Designing hospitality around guest experience
✦ Local food, organic growing and sustainability
✦ Building community through shared experiences
✦ Social connection and social health
✦ Starting a hospitality brand from zero
✦ Reversible and irreversible business decisions

Check out Chris King in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckroaming/
Check out Crafted at PowderMills: https://www.staycrafted.com/

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.
Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg

Key Moments:
00:00 Introducing Chris King and Crafted
07:00 Why PowderMills was the right location
13:10 Bold interiors and trusting the designer
16:53 Bringing local craftsmanship into the hotel
20:00 Creating the lakeside sauna and swim experience
26:30 Can this hospitality model make money?
31:09 British craftsmanship competing on price
38:30 Designing a frictionless guest journey
43:34 Why Chris designs for himself
46:30 Taking risks and testing new ideas
50:37 Why padel is here to stay
58:27 Creating a social catalyst outside London
1:02:34 Why social health matters
1:05:30 Chris King’s advice to his younger self

What separates true bespoke joinery from furniture that has simply been made to measure?
In this solo Q&A episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson answers the questions he receives most often about bespoke joinery, cabinet making, luxury interiors and running a successful joinery business.
Robin explains how every detail is considered in bespoke projects, why traditional craftsmanship still matters alongside CNC technology, how materials are selected for luxury homes and hospitality projects, and what clients should look for when choosing a bespoke furniture maker.
He also shares how Johnson Bespoke has grown from two people to a team of twenty while protecting traditional woodworking skills through apprentice training and craftsmanship.

Key Topics Covered
✦ What bespoke joinery really means
✦ Bespoke joinery compared with made to measure furniture
✦ Traditional woodworking and CNC machining
✦ Luxury cabinet making
✦ Material selection for bespoke furniture
✦ Solid timber, veneers and premium finishes
✦ Luxury residential and hospitality interiors
✦ How to choose materials that last
✦ Pricing bespoke joinery honestly
✦ Managing client expectations
✦ Growing a joinery business
✦ Training apprentices in traditional woodworking

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 makes joinery truly bespoke
02:57 Traditional skills or modern machinery
06:30 Choosing materials for luxury projects
15:30 What luxury means in bespoke joinery
21:19 Solving complex design challenges
24:43 Honest pricing and client expectations
28:10 Growing a joinery business without losing craftsmanship
29:56 Training apprentices and protecting traditional skills

How does someone leave a career as a patent attorney to become a furniture maker?
In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson sits down with furniture designer and maker Theo Silkstone to explore his unconventional journey from studying Material Science at Oxford to building sculptural furniture inspired by nature.
Theo shares how renovating a cottage during lockdown changed the direction of his life, why a fallen oak tree became the catalyst for a new career and how traditional cabinet making at Rycotewood shaped his approach to craftsmanship.
They discuss furniture design, woodworking, cabinet making, sculptural furniture, creative careers, sustainable timber, material science, AI in furniture design, marketing for makers and the realities of running a creative business.

Key Topics Covered
✦ Theo's journey from Oxford to furniture making
✦ Leaving a career in patent law
✦ How a fallen oak tree changed everything
✦ Learning cabinet making at Rycotewood
✦ Designing sculptural furniture
✦ Functional art and furniture design
✦ Working with oak, ash, metal and Jesmonite
✦ Building bespoke hi fi cabinets
✦ Marketing for furniture makers
✦ Using AI during the design process
✦ Setting up a new workshop
✦ Building a creative community

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 From patent attorney to furniture maker
04:27 Learning cabinet making at Rycotewood
06:03 Designing sculptural furniture
10:21 Why marketing matters for makers
12:00 Working with oak, ash and Jesmonite
15:06 Material science meets woodworking
23:30 Why old furniture is a timber goldmine
31:33 Learning from other crafts
40:56 AI and the future of creative work
54:48 Building a new workshop
56:08 Advice to his younger self

Gareth Neal joins Robin Johnson to discuss his career as a furniture maker and designer, his approach to sculptural furniture and the realities of building a creative career around craft, art and design.
Gareth shares how an influential teacher encouraged him to study furniture design and craftsmanship, how life in Hackney Wick shaped his work and how pieces including the Anne Table, George Chest of Drawers and Brodgar Chair helped establish his reputation internationally.
The conversation explores art furniture, studio furniture, contemporary craft, traditional woodworking, furniture design, creative communities and the changing art market. Gareth explains why mistakes matter, how overlooked materials and processes can generate new ideas and why makers need opportunities, deadlines and pressure to push their work forward.
He also reflects on exhibiting in Milan, selling work internationally, navigating gentrification, working with galleries and creating furniture that sits between practical design and collectible art. Gareth offers direct advice for young designers, craftspeople and artists on self belief, education, risk taking and saying yes when opportunity appears.

Key Topics Covered
Gareth Neal’s career in furniture design and craftsmanship
The meaning of sculptural furniture and art furniture
The relationship between art, craft and functional design
Studying furniture design at High Wycombe
The teacher who changed Gareth’s career
Traditional woodworking and contemporary furniture design
The influence of George Nakashima and Wendell Castle
How galleries shape the collectible design market
Working with local materials and specialist craftspeople
How mistakes generate new creative ideas
Why makers need deadlines and public opportunities
Creative education and choosing the right course
Self promotion for artists and craftspeople
Why young creatives should take more risks
The BMW opportunity Gareth regrets turning down

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 Gareth Neal on rebuilding his home, workshop and creative career
06:33 What sculptural furniture means and where craft meets art
20:04 The teacher who pushed Gareth towards furniture design
28:30 The Milan exhibition that changed his career
30:47 Life inside Hackney Wick’s creative scene
38:29 The Brodgar Chair and its place in the V and A
51:25 Gareth’s people, process and place approach
54:57 Why deadlines force creative work to happen
56:24 How mistakes create better ideas
01:03:14 Advice for young makers and designers
01:05:00 The BMW opportunity Gareth regrets turning down