Benchmark Furniture

Excellence in design materials and craftsmanship form the foundation of Benchmark furniture, producing contemporary classics in a sustainable way that will last several lifetimes.

Our history

Sean Sutcliffe and Terence Conran founded Benchmark in 1984. With a dream of creating a craft based workshop that produced furniture on a scale that would give customers high quality, beautifully designed furniture. Made in a responsible way and at a reasonable price. We have grown significantly since those early days, becoming one of the leading and most technically advanced furniture makers in the country. But that original vision is still our driving force.

Led by Sean Sutcliffe who trained as a cabinet maker and furniture designer, we are a team of craftspeople rather than business people and care deeply about what we design and make. As with all craft made pieces, the love of our craftsmen is imbued in the pieces we make, which is what makes them so unique and desirable.

Here’s a short film to give you a taste of how we work and what makes our furniture so special. Sit back and enjoy.

At Benchmark Furniture, we are a design led business but we are not about fashion or trends. Our furniture is sensibly and rationally designed for lasting beauty and value. Our in-house design team work with architects and designers from initial briefs and sketch proposals. Through samples and mock-ups, full CAD drawing and modelling. To the completed design.

Our love of making starts from the stewardship of trees, down to the hands-on-making by our highly skilled team. We believe firmly that the pleasure gained from using a piece is directly related to the care given by the hand of the maker.