What we do
Burke and Marshall is a handmade furniture partnership between brothers Sam Burke Phillips and James Marshall Phillips. In a modern day world of fast, factory made disposable furniture we quietly and diligently craft furniture to last. From our workshop in Bedminster we design and make each piece by hand, either as a bespoke solution to our client's brief or to order as a limited edition from our growing collection of studio designs. We also sell a range of smaller items handcrafted in beautiful timbers for the home in our Casa Curio collection.
We operate in a fully equipped professional workshop and are capable of working in partnership with architects, interior designers or kitchen fitters to realise a client's ambition.
About us
"There is now a much greater public appreciation of creative craftsmanship in all fields, and it is no longer considered escapist to earn a living working largely with one's hands." Alan Peters OBE 17 January 1933 - 11 October 2009
Our business was born out of a shared love for beautiful furniture and the need to preserve serious craft as an important vocation. There is a huge amount of furniture available today: it can be expensive, cheap, designer, flat pack. It can be made with a computer or by machines, or by a factory line. And in some instances it can be made by one person, with their hands, shaped from rough sawn timber into a functional and elegant piece that with care will last for generations to come. All of our furniture is made this way.
Detail of exposed joinery in Anna's Chair
Our designs are characterised by clean lines and contemporary styling, with the occasional nod to Danish mid century modernism. We were trained to cut and fit our joinery using traditional methods similar to those that the craftsmen of the 19th century Cotswolds Arts and Craft movement used, and we believe that a perfectly fit joint can be inherently beautiful as well as functional. In celebration of this much of our work features hand cut exposed joinery.
Awards/Press
Burke (&) Marshall
Our name comes from our middle names, which come from our grandfather, Burke Marshall. Our grandfather was not a furniture maker, in fact he was a lawyer, assistant attorney general and the head of the civil rights division under the JFK administration in America. He helped write and bring about the Civil Rights Act 1964. We are so proud of him we decided to name our business after him.
He would have made a great designer if he wasn't doing something even more important.