There's something different about owning a piece of furniture that has been made by hand rather than taken off a production line.
You can see the character in the timber, choose the size to suit your home and, perhaps most importantly, know exactly who made it.
At AB Woodworking, we're a family-run woodworking business based in Billingham, Teesside, making handmade furniture in Stockton-on-Tees and the surrounding area.
We've been building furniture since 2016, starting out in a garden shed with a few tools and gradually growing into our new workshop on Lagonda Court in Billingham.
But why choose a local furniture maker rather than heading to a high-street furniture shop?
1. Furniture Made for Your Home
One of the biggest advantages of buying handmade furniture is that you're not necessarily restricted to whatever sizes happen to be available.
Perhaps you've got an awkward space that needs a particular size dining table.
Maybe you want a mantel that's slightly longer than the standard options.
Or you've got a wall that would be perfect for a set of shelves, but the dimensions you've found online don't quite work.
That's where having a local furniture maker can make things much easier.
We can discuss what you're trying to achieve, look at the available space and work out what will actually work for you.
2. Every Piece Has Its Own Character
We work predominantly with natural timber, and that's one of the things we love about woodworking.
No two pieces of wood are exactly the same.
You'll find differences in grain, knots, colour and texture, and we think that's part of what makes handmade furniture special.
A handmade dining table shouldn't necessarily look like every other dining table on the internet.
Those little imperfections and variations are what give the timber its character.
It's also worth remembering that the photographs on our website are examples. Because we're working with natural materials and making everything to order, your finished piece will have its own appearance.
3. Supporting a Local Business
When you buy from a local furniture maker, you're not just buying a piece of furniture.
You're supporting a local business and the people behind it.
For us, that means we're able to continue investing in our workshop, buying better equipment and taking on bigger and more interesting projects.
It also means you're dealing directly with the people making your furniture.
If you've got a question about your table, shelf or mantel, you don't have to navigate a huge customer service department. You can just speak to us.
That's something we think is pretty important.
4. Handmade Doesn't Have to Mean Complicated
The word "bespoke" can sometimes make furniture sound like it needs to be an elaborate, one-off masterpiece.
It doesn't.
Sometimes bespoke simply means:
"I need a dining table that's 180cm long because that's what fits my room."
Or:
"I need this shelf to be 140cm because that's the size of the wall."
Or:
"I'd like this mantel in a particular size to work with my fireplace."
We make plenty of straightforward pieces alongside larger bespoke projects.
The important thing is that the furniture works for your home, rather than you having to work around the furniture.
Based in Billingham, Serving Teesside
We've recently moved into our new workshop at 8 Lagonda Court, Billingham, after five years at our previous workshop on Skinner Street in Stockton-on-Tees.
Being based in Billingham means we're ideally located to serve customers across the wider Teesside area, including:
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Billingham
- Middlesbrough
- Thornaby
- Norton
- Yarm
- Ingleby Barwick
- Hartlepool
- Surrounding areas
We also deliver our furniture throughout England, so you don't need to live locally to order from us.
Why Choose AB Woodworking?
For us, it comes down to keeping things simple.
Good timber.
Good workmanship.
Furniture made properly.
And dealing with real people throughout the process.
We've gone from making chopping boards and ornaments in a garden shed to building dining tables and bespoke furniture in our own workshop. It's been a hell of a journey, and we're still growing.
We don't want to become a huge furniture company where everything is mass-produced and customers become order numbers.
We'd rather keep making things we're proud of and building relationships with the people who buy them.
Looking for Handmade Furniture in Stockton-on-Tees?
Whether you're looking for a rustic dining table, handmade shelves, a wooden fireplace mantel or a completely bespoke piece of furniture, we'd love to hear what you've got in mind.
You don't need to have everything figured out before getting in touch. If you've got a rough idea, some measurements or even just a photo of something you like, send it over.