AN artisan businessman has designs on creating a rural craft hub in the upper dale and is appealing for help to find the right location.
Two years ago, design graduate Jonathan Muir decided not to put off his dreams of starting a business and launched Bucolic Products and Designs and has been creating bespoke furniture using reclaimed materials ever since.
Demand for his unusual handcrafted items, which range from live-edge desks to upcycled fire extinguisher light fittings, have kept him busy at his workshops in Middleton-in-Teesdale.
He said: “I’ve always been interested in design and making things, but it was really the last assignment I was doing at university about making something out of reclaimed items.
“I thought ‘I would love to do this when I’ve got time and when I’m retired, but then I thought, ‘why wait?’. So I took the plunge.
“The first year I had plenty of time to explore design ideas with the different things I came across, but last year, even in lockdown, I have been so busy with commissions.
“It went a bit mad and I have been inundated with commissions for desks and slate-topped side tables.”
The business has flourished and Mr Muir is now keen to expand from his current rented workshops in Chapel Row and bring together other artisan workers.
He added: “I do a lot of work with Nigel Hodgson [Artistic Ironwork and Stone] in the workshop next door.
“He does the metal work and I deal with the wood. It works really well.
“I’m looking to create a kind of craft and artisan complex so we could have all kinds of traditional craftspeople in one place so they can spark off each other with ideas – glaziers, ceramicists, upholsterers all together.
“I have been working with Grace Crawford at Utass and have found funding to help get a farm or farm buildings to run out of, but we’re unable to find a property.
“We don’t need big new building. As long as it is secure and has the essentials. We need to find somewhere that someone is interesting in selling at a fair price. Ideally, a farm with outbuildings would be great so we can create units for different artisans with space to develop into a central shop display area and possibly a cafe.
“That would be the grand plan.”
Mr Muir, who is also interested in working closely with schools to provide evening classes for adults, added: “I’m originally from Sedgefield, but I’ve always been drawn to the upper dales and the fells and I really would like to do to this in Teesdale.”
Anyone who can help is asked to email [email protected].
