In 2012, Ravi (left) & Dan (right) met in Cornwall, amongst mutual friends, sharing dinners, music, dance, outdoor adventures, a love of the Cornish landscape and its lifestyle. They came with their own directions. Dan as an Expedition leader and Carpenter, Ravi as an Arts Educator and Designer Maker.
It wasn’t until 2020 when, in the wilds of Pendeen, camping on a cliff, in the wind and with fire, there was a moment of reflection between them about their future as makers. Then unfurled talk of working together, combining their interests and making something of beauty, quality and value to bring to the world of furniture.
Over the next few years, before launching in late 2022, Dan & Ravi’s joint ambition has developed into the business you see today. Building upon core values, huge sustainability promises and honest transparency, Stratum Marquetry creates beautiful hand crafted work, unique to the world of furniture.
We’re a small company with big promises.
All production has an impact on the planet. Achieving 100% sustainability may not be possible. So let's be as kind as we possibly can, and let's be proud about it. That's our stance.
From material sourcing to business structuring, we run our company in the most ethical and planet friendly way we can & put these values first.
Every month we donate £36 to our partners, Plant One Cornwall. This contributes to the planting of 3 trees in Cornish soil. Every business should do this, right? We used to subscribe to a well known Worldwide Carbon Offsetting program, but felt it wasn’t local enough. So we found these guys! We also donate 5% of our profits to them too… but that’s another story… read it here.
The waste we produce is actually very valuable to us. We do 4 different things with it, depending on its suitability:
Put our offcuts straight back into production.
Donate it to local schools, colleges and universities.
Process it into wood chips, returning it to the ground where it will rot slowly and release its carbon to be absorbed by vegetation, rather than the atmosphere.
Dispose of it. When it's not reusable we dispose of it through safe and environmentally friendly ways.
Our products can be, or can contain fragile elements. When we box and send them, we need to make sure they survive the journey from our workshop to your door. We promise to always use 100% recyclable packaging and will provide you with the information needed to do so.
Our approach to making relies on numerous handmade elements. These bring craftsmanship, identity and quality to our work which is built to the highest standard, with love and efficiency. We believe this approach nurtures a positive presence of makers in a society where manufacturing is weighted towards automation, and lacking the human touch. We greatly value the human touch.
Let's clarify this. Other business models may lean towards producing high volume products, sold for low value. This can mean outsourcing manufacture to areas where labour is undervalued, and the carbon footprint of transportation is environmentally unacceptable.
From the outset, we have valued quality labour, kept the making in-house, only outsourced within the UK if needed, and taken a sensible approach to any transportation involved in our making. We value people, planet and product.
All timber grows with its individual grain structure and colouration, but it's our surface decoration that's the heart of our work's true character.
Set seamlessly into our Furniture & Lighting range, no two decorative elements are identical in their colouration and arrangement. Each product is 100% unique, a one off for you.
Why build something that doesn’t last?
Research and development is a crucial part of our working week. It means we are playful and creative with materials and techniques. Our work will always be fresh and well considered because we understand what works, and what doesn’t. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing well, so you can trust in our production methods.
It’s naïve to expect that our products may not one day become unused or unwanted one day. We believe they have the right to be used again… to be repurposed into something new and equally beautiful. We will happily take them back for re-use, and depending on their condition offer a nominal payment to you
Cornwall has a well established community of experienced artisans & professionals. If there’s ever a specialised element involved in a project, that's outside our remit, (like metal fabrication or spray finishing for example) we outsource it to someone local who can do the best job possible.
It works both ways too… we often have other businesses ask us to get involved in their projects. We are part of and connected to a wider community.
There are plenty of schools, colleges and universities where we are in Cornwall. We donate some of our offcuts to them, and seek to forge links with their courses. When the time’s right, we’d love to provide making and marketing opportunities for students within our projects.
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Dan
FOUNDER & MAKER
After 10 years in the Outdoor & Overseas Expedition Industry, I began following something exciting, creative and innate. Something that allowed me to stay creative. I moved to Cardiff and trained on a City & Guilds L2 Diploma in Carpentry and Bench Joinery. The course was the perfect introduction to working in the trade and it wasn't long before I was running my own workshop. My work designing and building beautiful hand crafted furniture has been purely a joy & kept afloat solely by word of mouth.
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Ravi
FOUNDER & MAKER
My passion for design and making first led me to study sculpture, during which I gained an understanding of visual language, materials and design. It allowed me to create, and it's a process that brings me great joy. I brought my enthusiasm to an educational context, teaching degree students from a workshop, whilst also working as a freelance maker, focusing on bespoke furniture and storage solutions. I only want to make quality, and that's what Stratum Marquetry Ltd does.
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Moss
GOOD TIME GUY
This little chap has no real input to the business. He’s usually late for work and is often found digging holes, running riot or sleeping in awkwardly placed locations. Like under our feet. He does however bring plenty of joy and cheekiness to the workshop.