John Morris makes bespoke furniture from a workshop at Bee Mill, a former textile mill in Ribchester now let out to small businesses. He came to cabinet-making after a career testing software for the government, teaching himself the trade and working alongside other Bee Mill craftspeople to build his skills. Working alone rather than to a production line, Morris sources timber from specialist yards, often choosing boards other makers pass over so the grain and figure of each piece stays unrepeated. Recent commissions have included a solid oak media cabinet and a curved boiler cupboard door built to match a client's Georgian furniture. Each piece is designed around a client's brief rather than drawn from a catalogue, with Morris arguing that a handmade commission need not cost much more than an equivalent from a high-street retailer. The workshop is open by appointment, and Morris is the sole maker and owner of the business.
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