The visit
We come to you, measure the room, and talk through how you want to use it. There is no charge and no obligation. You will get a clear written quote within the week.
Joinery and cabinetmaking, since 1998
Furniture built to outlast the room it sits in.
Ashgrove is a small workshop in the Cotswolds making kitchens, staircases and fitted rooms by hand. We draw every piece to the millimetre, cut it from timber we have chosen ourselves, and fit it so it looks as though the house was built around it.
What we believe
A good piece of furniture is a quiet argument against throwing things away. It is cut from a tree that took eighty years to grow, joined so it can be taken apart and mended, and finished so it improves with handling rather than wearing out.
We work the way joiners worked before the flat pack: slowly, in solid timber, with joints you could pass down. Most of what we make will outlive the people who commissioned it. That is the point.
01
Kitchens
A kitchen is the hardest-working room in the house, so we build it like a piece of furniture rather than a set of boxes. Solid frames, dovetailed drawers, doors hung to close with a soft and certain weight. We design around how you actually cook, then make every cabinet to suit the wall it lives on.
Kitchen work02
Staircases
A staircase is the one piece of joinery you touch every day and notice only when it is wrong. We cut strings and treads from the same board where we can, so the grain runs on as you climb, and we fit the handrail to the hand, not the drawing. The result is a stair that feels inevitable.
Staircase work03
Fitted rooms
Studies, boot rooms, libraries, wardrobes that turn an awkward corner into the most useful part of the house. Fitted work asks for patience and a good eye for proportion, because it has to belong to the room and to the building. We measure on site, draw at full size, and fit in a day or two of quiet.
Fitted workHow a commission runs
Most pieces take eight to twelve weeks from the first visit to the final fit. Here is the shape of it.
The drawing
We draw the piece at full size and choose the timber together. Nothing is cut until you are happy with the proportions, the wood, and the price. The drawing is yours to keep.
The making
The work happens in our workshop, by the people who drew it. We send photographs as it comes together, then fit it ourselves and take the offcuts away.
Twenty-five years in
1998
Year the first bench was made
900+
Pieces fitted and still standing
6
Hands in the workshop
11
Counties we have worked across
What people say
They drew the kitchen we did not know how to ask for, then built it better than the drawing. Six years on it looks better than the day it went in.Helena and Marcus, Stroud
Honest, unhurried, and meticulous. The staircase is the first thing anyone mentions when they walk in.The Wren practice, Cheltenham
Good to know
What are your lead times?
Usually eight to twelve weeks from the first visit, depending on the size of the piece and the time of year. We will give you a firm date with the quote.
What timber do you use?
Mostly British and European hardwoods, chosen board by board. Oak, ash, walnut and cherry are our regulars. We will show you the actual boards before we cut.
Do you work outside the Cotswolds?
Yes. We have fitted work across eleven counties. Travel beyond a couple of hours is added to the quote, plainly, with no surprises.
Is there a guarantee?
Ten years on the making, and we will mend anything we built for as long as we are working. Solid timber is meant to be repaired, not replaced.
Bring us the room. We will bring the drawings.
Tell us what you have in mind and we will arrange a visit. No charge, no pressure, just a clear idea of what is possible.
Start a commission
Send a few lines about the room and the piece you have in mind. We read every message ourselves and reply within two working days.