Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2009/January 2010 | Page 110

life

LOCAL BUSINESS

Photo: John Strawson (left) Mark Giddens (right)

Design perfect to the touch
Roz Whistance meets a craftsman who makes dreams come true

“EVERYONE who comes in rubs their

John’s commissions come through word

that convinced this lady to order this very

hands over it,” grins John Strawson,

of mouth. Seeing (and feeling) is wanting.

large, fully comprehensive kitchen. The

as I give up resisting the urge to stroke

This particular kitchen was ordered after

phrase ‘attention to detail’ somehow sells

the beautiful kitchen units which he has

the client enquired about oak worktops.

it short. Every surface, every end-panel is

just installed in one lucky lady’s house.

She was taken to see one that John had

a work of craftsmanship in its own right.

They seem to have an inner glow, and

just fitted for another client, and could

Mark Giddens, who partners John on

are velvet to the touch, the result, John

not resist. “Our worktops aren’t made of

certain projects, points out an end-panel

tells me, of six coats of paint, each one

little bits,” John explains, and shows me

which is curved to match the unit doors.

meticulously sanded down before the

the long and very complete pieces he is

“It wasn’t exactly on our brief, it just

next layer is applied.

currently working on.

evolved,” he says.

It is hardly surprising that a large part of
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It wouldn’t have been just the worktops

The initial design had to be considerably