The furniture of Byron and Gómez is a perfect combination of both beauty and functionality, handcrafted in their Somerset workshop. Beginning the business to give Charles and María the freedom to both design and make the furniture, they now make not only beautifully bespoke work, but their own original and tasteful pieces as well.

When Charles Byron was finishing his studies at Williams and Cleal Furniture School, after completing a degree in Environmental Science, he met María del Mar Gómez. “It was meant to be I guess,” María tells us. Charles adds: “They take people, not as a year group, but rolling on and off. I started when María had about two months left of her course.”

When María was younger, she dreamed of being a carpenter. Furniture schools aren’t widely available in Puerto Rico, so María focused her attention on a BA in Architecture. She notes, “When I finished, I realised I didn’t want to be in front of my computer, I wanted to be making things.” After attending the David Savage school in Devon for six months and travelling back to Puerto Rico to save money, she then met Charles at Williams and Cleal.

Fortunately for the future of Byron and Gómez, María was accepted for a visa entitled “exceptional promise”, which is endorsed by The Arts Council. Three years ago, María and Charles began Byron and Gómez.

“We thought if this is what we want to do, then we should both do it together,” Charles comments. “There is strength in numbers. I think it is better to be together” María explains, “I do wonder how people do this alone! Not only because you work alone all the time, but also to help with lifting panels of MDF and other things that you might need help with.” They found the support brilliant in the first few months of self-employment, as it can be an emotional rollercoaster. They were off to a good start as their first piece, the Log Stack Cabinet, was awarded a bespoke Guild Mark - one of the highest awards in the industry.

At the start of the business, the pair worked together on projects, but they quickly found this led to more time spent discussing what to do next and less time actually doing it. “A project just moves along faster when one person takes responsibility for it, but we still stop to discuss any design decisions,” Charles explains.

Bespoke products are incredibly popular from Byron and Gómez. The most unique and unusual thing they made was a swing bench. A retired engineer and keen sailor requested this piece, so it was incredibly sculptural and architectural, with a rigid geometry and metal cables.

María tells us that the creative process begins with a purpose (a chair, table, cabinet) and then they both draw separate designs for each other to critique.

This is the part of the processes that both Charles and María argue about. “We have to be completely honest about what we think of each other’s designs and if we can’t agree then we have to put the design on hold for a while,” Charles explains. “Then we will usually come up with a third solution which is better than either of our initial ideas.”

With their own designs they can shelve them for as long as it takes to come up with a solution that satisfies them both. Bespoke pieces are on a time scale and therefore, the creative process sometimes needs a little encouragement. “Sometimes you just must sit down and keep drawing and drawing until you get something you like, something that fits,” explains María.

The inspiration for these designs comes primarily from the craftmanship. “You know, being here and making and enjoying ourselves is what keeps us motivated to design and make things,” María explains. Charlie explains that the inspiration comes from everywhere and you are not quite certain exactly where the design came from. Therefore, it is important to always keep half an eye out for creative inspiration.

María loves using cane in her work. In the future they plan to design stools with a cane top as well as other, modern designs using cane. “A lot of furniture makers that are successful have a special thing that they do,” María explains, “we want to bring back cane and give it a contemporary edge.” The freedom to design and make what they choose, gives the pair the possibility of creating stylish furniture and bringing the use of cane into everyday modern life.

“We would love to be able to grow our business. We have so many ideas, so many things we want to make but we only have so much time and resources we can commit to making speculative work. As much as it can be daunting to start your own business it is also exciting to be the master of your own fate. In most furniture making jobs, you are either the maker or the designer, not both and this job gives us the freedom to be both.”

Want to see their work in person? Take a visit to the Collective Invites exhibition held on April 23rd to 28th, 2018. Head to the gallery on 67 York Street, Marylebone, London, where their work will be exhibited alongside other contemporary multi-disciplinary crafted items.

If you would like to find out more, visit www.byronandgomez.co.uk