STOP PRESS!
We are at the Scottish Furniture Makers annual exhibition just now. Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh until the 19th September 2010. Then Collins Gallery in Glasgow the 21st to 26th. Click here if you want to find out more.Introduction
AT Samson's Joinery we design in an Art Nouveau, Edwardian, American mission or Glasgow style. We construct all manner of furniture and architectural joinery, from front doors (when we trade under the name "Scottish Doors") to picture frames, bookcases to fitted kitchens, fire surrounds to radiator covers. We also make stained glass windows, we build conservatories, we sell antiques, we even decorate. And, as if that were not enough, we also dabble in graphic arts as type-setters and designers of beaten copper or pewter panels. How we got to be so talented is a fascinating story that you may, however, want to miss! 
If you have too much time on your hands, there are links to tell you more about us and our more unusual work and 
our cabinet makers, what the papers say about our work, and even some wierd and wonderful things, like the gibbet made for Gaelic television on which James Stewart was hanged for the murder of the "Red Fox" in 1752. Return visitors might wish to check on what's new to see some of the pieces we are working on at the moment. "What's new" is something of a misnomer, the page was only changed in February 2010 after 16 months!We specialise in the styles of around the year 1900, especially Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau, be that in our stained glass work, cabinet making, antiques or decoration. For that reason we especially like to use native oak. And, true to the Arts and Crafts ethos, we will make almost anything ourselves, and make it by hand. That may well include the hardware for our furniture in the near future.
If you are interested in commissioning a piece of furniture, you might wish to check our page on commissioning. Left is an example of a drawing we produce for clients. If you do wish to commission work from us, you must bear this in mind. We do not give you the hard sell. Quite the opposite. If you want us to make something for you, you may have to chivvy us along. Click on our works timetable page if you wish to see what we are making at the moment and how long you might have to wait for your dream piece. Although, again, I should warn you that the timetable could easily be a year or more out of date.As founder of the Scottish Furniture Makers Association, I can highly recommend that you visit their website. Most of the sixty odd (and I use the word odd advisedly) cabinet makers making up the membership are enthusiasts of the contemporary, so they aren't really competitors. Visiting the website will also demonstrate how foolishly inexpensive our furniture is! The SFMA also holds exhibitions and shows that are well worth the visit. Once a year we hold our annual show (Sept. 10-19th, 2010 in Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh and, 21-26th at Collins Gallery in Glasgow). The show has its own dedicated website if you want to find out more. The SFMA website also has a "salesroom", which contains finished pieces of furniture ready for immediate sale. That includes pieces by Samsons Joinery.
SAMSON'S ANTIQUES no longer really exists, since the
Antiques Warehouse at Yorkhill Quay burned. Our space at the new Antiques Warehouse is too small to display more than one or two antiques.
Samson's Stained Glass studio is where Valerie was meant to make windows before the girls arrived. We continue to design windows, but most are actually made by Richard LeClerc in his own studio.
1900 STYLE DECORATION so excites us, we go to great lengths to find other craftspeople to help us with specialist work (such as beaten copper panels or hand-made tiles). We can even help you to find lincrusta for your walls
(it is like Anaglypta, but made from a linseed plaster/putty material) in authentic Art Nouveau and other late Victorian patterns. We also sell some Arts & Crafts furniture fittings (drawer pulls and hinges). If you too are beguiled by the period, whether as a collector, period home owner, or just plain enthusiast, you may be interested in some of the web links we have posted. Finally, our contact details are below (way below).
Here are some of the greats who inspire us:
