A Shropshire man, who launched his own specialist furniture firm over ten years ago from the back of a van, now works with some of the UK’s top architects and interior designers.

These days Charlie Wellings, of Charles Wellings Interiors of Shrewsbury, has his own workshop at Monkmoor Farm Industrial Estate, while he and another two colleagues regularly travel up to London to work on the most challenging interior designs possible.

He and his team – Luc Lichtle and Simon Measures – also work locally on kitchens, libraries, built-in wardrobes and commercial projects. They created Tanners Wine Merchants’ stunning contemporary tasting room and a state-of-the-art laboratory for Severn Trent Water.

Medieval property

They specialise in contemporary work, featuring difficult-to-create curved features. Their projects range from restoring a medieval property to interior jobs in a country home or top London apartment, to creating something spectacular for the reception area of a large firm.

Charlie and his team work with oak, walnut, maple and high-quality American black walnut, and the finished pieces will last a lifetime.

He said: “A lot of the time it’s a relief to get a project done because it’s been a challenge – a lot of the time it’s challenging jobs we take on. They’re pieces you’re not going to want to throw away, they are built to last.”

Charlie worked in lighting design before taking a specialist hand-finished furniture making course at Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology as a mature student, aged 30.

“I started from college and worked with another chap, and then I went to work for a shop fitting and interiors company, which gave me more of an insight into what I wanted to do, and then I came back into being self-employed and took this place over. It was just me to start off with and then I got some nice work for a job in London.”

Although Charles Wellings Interiors does employ freelance furniture makers when needed, it mainly sticks to the three main men.

Charlie said: “We know the sort of work we’re doing; it’s fairly specialised and we know who can do what.”

As well as working with individual designers and architects, the trio work with a design company in London.

Charlie said: “We just found that, because of our size, we can do their specialist work and we can get to know them and build up a relationship.”

Commercial jobs can include creating receptions or fitting out shops.

Charlie said: “We did a very strange one recently. It was display cabinets for a palette company in Manchester and they wanted to display each type of palette. So we created these huge cabinets. It was very Damien Hirst.”

Asked how the company had grown and survived the recession, Charlie said: “I’ve tried to keep us small but year on year it’s grown. I’ve fought not to expand. With the recession it was difficult, but we still had a core of clients and relied on more joinery work and, working with architects and designers, you do tend to get a lot of repeat business.”

Yet Charles Wellings Interiors still deals directly with clients. The firm has a self-employed CAD designer and kitchens range from £12,000 up to £40,000.

Charlie has invested a lot of money in the latest machinery and equipment for his workshop, including formers and jigs to create shapes using vacuums and he’s just bought an edge bander. The firm is also a specialist in retail outlets, especially for fashion wear and children’s wear.

The course that Charlie took at Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology has obviously held him in good stead, although it isn’t run any more, said Charlie. He said it was a shame that nationally there were less opportunities to train in specialist furniture making.

He added: “In Shropshire we have worked in some big houses creating built-in wardrobes and we are currently working on a fashion shop in Wyle Cop.”

Further details from www.charleswellings.com