Keep and Eye on the Little Things

I am a big believer in keeping things simple and doing the simple things well. I have taken this approach into designing and making bespoke furniture, each small component with a little thought can take what would otherwise be a fairly standard piece of furniture into something that is a joy to live with and use. This takes us on to the very exciting subject of how to support a shelf!

From my very first job as an apprentice making farm house style furniture, to my time at Paul Glover fine furniture making things for the people you see on your tv, we have used a variation on a metal shelf sleeve or collar and a peg. Normally they are punched out of a sheet of metal in manufacturers and have a flare to the outer ring, there is little to no finishing to keep them super cheap and it shows.

This has been a bug bare for me for a very long time and led me to try every manufacturer that I could but each one had the same issue to a different degree. Finally, after many years and many workshops, I have found my shelf sleeve, they have a round to the outer edge giving a more finished look and feel. They are slightly more expensive than the other option but unfortunately with most things in furniture making, you really do get what you pay for. I really don’t think any of my customers notice the extra quality in this tiny detail but I am certain they would notice the cheaper option.