Locally creative talents

They're also driven by the desire to find "something different", which is why they are seeking out local designer makers.

Yorkshire is particularly well-blessed with creatives making everything from furniture to textiles and lighting.

Together they are ensuring that the Made in Yorkshire label is something to boast about. Victoria, of Yorkshire-based Scarlet Opus, predicts: "Designer makers will be very important because people want a relationship with the person who designs and makes products they can cherish. Plus, they offer something different from the homogenised mass-produced items. In general, we will want to know much more about where products come from and how they got here. We'll be as diligent in this as we now are about the provenance of food."

David Wilson, of WoodB Furniture in Blubberhouses, agrees: "There's a tiredness with the mass-produced pieces on offer and more people are looking at buying bespoke."

One of the main problems for these one-man and one-woman bands is finding the money for marketing and expansion. Some have solved that by banding together. David Wilson shares work and gallery space with three other furniture makers and is also a member of Northern Contemporary Furniture Makers, a collective that has its own website and regular exhibitions, including an annual sale at Tennants in Leyburn.

Profiles have been heightened by the excellent Open Studio events, where artists and makers open their studios to the public, but the most significant marketing development is the growing number of internet shops inspired by American-based Etsy – a selling site that is devoted to craftspeople and designer makers. It is becoming one of the most fashionable ways to shop and to source local designers. Hannah Nunn, a lighting designer from Hebden Bridge, says: "I went to a talk by retail expert Mary Portas recently and she said that status labels like Gucci were being replaced with

status stories.

"That means the owner knows where their product is from and they know the person who made it."

Sarah Waterhouse, Sheffield, textile designer and maker

Sarah, 29, from Sheffield has been knitting and crafting since she was a child and has a degree in History of Art. But it was her obsessive collecting of fabrics and buttons that led to her career as a textile designer and maker.

She taught herself how to screen print and combines part-time work in a library, which provides steady income, with making hand-printed, eco-friendly fabric at her studio at Yorkshire Art Space

in Sheffield.

She also makes and sells cushions and knitting bags. Prices for 150cm wide fabric start from 35 a metre, though she does smaller pieces for craft enthusiasts, which cost from 5.

Sarah, 29, says: "I started selling the fabric at craft fairs and had a really good response, so I knew there was a market, which I was thrilled about because I love making it. I started in a back bedroom on a small table, but moving to Yorkshire Art Space means I can make bigger pieces of fabric. I also got some help with a business plan from Sheffield Enterprise Agency and I'm hoping to get a grant towards a wash-out booth because at the moment I'm washing my fabrics out in an old Belfast sink." She adds: "I've noticed over the past two years that interest has grown in designer makers and I think that's because people are looking for something unique."

www.sarahwaterhouse.co.uk

Garry Smith, Parlour Furniture, Leeds, furniture designer and maker

Garry studied cabinet making at London Guildhall University followed by a course in furniture design and fine craftsmanship in High Wycombe.

He now has a studio in Leeds and designs everything from bespoke built-in furniture to his own design chairs and sofas. Garry, who also makes sets for the Northern Film School, says: "I'm amazed at how many bespoke furniture makers there are in Yorkshire but I think that's part of our heritage.

"I find clients are interested in expressing themselves whether it's commissioning a handmade kitchen or a piece of furniture.

"I've also found that there's a lot of pressure on space in today's homes and so I do a lot of storage solutions for clients."

He adds: "Buying from a furniture maker doesn't have to be expensive. I work a lot with ash, which is an inexpensive wood."

www.parlourfurniture.com, tel: 0773 8658768

Hannah Nunn, lighting designer and owner of Radiance Lighting, Hebden Bridge

Hannah first started making lamps seven years ago and specialises in paper-cut shades. Her designs were stocked at Harrods and Liberty and retail in shops and boutiques all over the country. Recognising there was a gap in the market for "different" lighting, she opened her own studio/shop in Hebden Bridge to showcase her work and the work of about 20 other small-scale designers.

They include York-based Joanna Coupland, whose bird fairy lights have been a best-seller at Radiance.

Hannah says: "Interest in designer makers has grown and I've also witnessed a growth in the number of lighting designers. The comment I hear most often in the shop is, 'It's so lovely to find something different'."

Radiance, Market Street, Hebden Bridge. www.radiancelighting.co.uk

WoodB, Philip Dobbins, Gabler Furniture and Chris Tribe

Banding together has brought more opportunities for these four furniture makers from Yorkshire. They now share gallery space at Woodnook Farm next to Mackenzies Smokehouse in Blubberhouses, near Harrogate. "We couldn't afford gallery space on our own and we wouldn't have enough work to fill it. This way makes it viable," says David Wilson, of WoodB.

"It's also great as a support network. Sometimes one of us will get a big job in and the others will help out and if we have a technical problem, we always have someone to consult."

David and Chris Tribe also have their workshops at Woodnook, while Philip is based at home in Leeds and Gabler Furniture is in Thirsk. Their work ranges from bespoke kitchens and wardrobes to beautiful cabinetry.

David says: "Bespoke furniture is not the cheapest but it will last forever. If you buy a chest of drawers from one of us, you won't have

to buy it again. Clients also have a hand in the design and that close collaboration with us is so much more satisfying than buying off-the shelf.

"I think there's a lost generation who have been brought up with cheap, mass produced furniture. They've forgotten how beautiful a drawer should be and when people come to the gallery they're amazed at hand-cut dovetail joints and mortice and tenons."

The Designer Makers have a gallery at Woodnook Farm, next to Mackenzies Smokehouse in Blubberhouses, near Harrogate. www.designermakers.co.uk

Joanne Cooke, Sculpture Lounge Studio in Holmfirth. Hand-built stoneware.

Joanne trained in 3D design and specialised in ceramics and is best-known for her stoneware dogs. Joanne says: "It started 10 years ago because I wanted to make a sculpture of the family Jack Russell as a present for my mum. I really enjoyed doing it and started making a range of dogs, which got a great response.

"I do my own range and also do bespoke work for dog owners working from photos or real life. I really love sculpting the facial expression and capturing the essence of the breeds from Chihuahuas to Deerhounds."

The dogs start from 150 and her best seller is the English bull terrier though her favourite is the pug. She adds: "In September 2003, I fulfilled my dream of finally getting a real dog. I adopted a retired racing greyhound who is my constant source of inspiration and technical reference, working (sleeping!) alongside me every day in my studio."

Joanne Cooke, Sculpture Lounge Studios, Holmfirth. 0484 687425, www.sculpturelounge.com

Where to find Designer Makers:

The internet is the obvious first place. Type in "furniture makers" and "Yorkshire" to a search engine and there's an abundance of choice. Also check if there any Open Studio tours in your area.

Designer makers' work is often sold at galleries including Yorkshire Sculpture Park (www.ysp.co.uk), Dean Clough's design shop in Halifax (www.deanclough.com) and the Craft and Design Centre gallery in Leeds (www.craftcentreleeds. co.uk)

Useful websites:

www.folksy.com is a Yorkshire-based site dedicated to handmade goods.

www.etsy.com is an American site but some makers ship and it's worth looking at just for inspiration.

www.artspace.org.uk Artspace provides work space in Sheffield for 90 makers and artists and all are listed on the site.

www.craft-candy.org A group of Sheffield-based makers and artists

www.studiopottery.co.uk A national site that allows you to search for potters in your area

www.northernfurniture.org.uk Northern contemporary furniture makers with many from Yorkshire.

www.thirskfurnituretrail.co.uk showcases the work of furniture makers in Thirsk

www.northernskydesign.com website features northern artists and makers.

www.design-edge.uk.com features the catalogue of the British Craft Trade Fair, which exhibits in Harrogate.

www.hiddenart.com is a national site with e-shop dedicated to designer makers and their wares.