Shopper’s Diary: The New Craftsmen in Mayfair

The New Craftsmen is a pop-up shop in London’s Mayfair. Its temporary home is a former stable in a muse behind South Audley Street, and the original interior (tiled walls, floors with drainage) perfectly complements the traditionally crafted British goods within.

Above: Ingenious birdfeeder made from wood-fired stoneware, Dorset: £80. To the left, a Cricket Table from Arne Maynard design, £1.920. Inspired by an old table in his house Alt-y-Bella in Wales, three legs were originally considered more stable on uneven flags than four. Photograph by Kendra Wilson.

For more of Arne Maynard’s house and garden at Alt-y-Bella see Designer Visit: Arne Maynard at Home in Wales.

Above: An Apple Storage Chest, from Arne Maynard Design: £2,200. Through his work in the garden of Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, Maynard has collaborated with the craftsmen on the estate to make products of English oak, to be used indoors or out. This chest can be used for anything, though it stores up to 600 apples. Photograph via The New Craftsmen.

Above: Apple Collecting Sedan, on location in an orchard: £3,840. Part of Arne Maynard’s collaboration with The New Craftsmen, the slatted trays in the sedan fit as drawers into the apple storage chest. A sedan is preferable to an apple cart because the whole thing can be lifted and carried, keeping the apples intact. This also applies to picnics.

Above: Inside a horse stall at The New Craftsmen, this branch Coat Stand is from Somerset, welded from steel and powder-coated. Also available in gray: £1,600.

Above: Willow Basket Platters for bread, from £75. Made by Hilary Burns in Devon.

The price tags at The New Craftsmen say a lot about their ethos. They list in order of importance: maker, location, material. These products are made by people, not machines, and they are closely bound to local materials. Photograph by Kendra Wilson.

Above left: Selection of handmade Penknives from the steel city of Sheffield (from £105). Right: Humbug Trug, a stained, striped update of the Sussex Trug, £65.

Above: Monster food cover, made in County Down, Northern Ireland, £300. Available to ship; please enquire.

Above: The New Craftsmen can be found at 14 Adam’s Row W1 until 24 December 2013. After this date they will be trading online (including international shipping) until they move into their new premises in a yet-to-be announced location in Mayfair.

For more handmade garden implements see Red Pig Garden Tools, Hand-Forged in the USA.