Streat Kitchens & Furniture

Working from a rural workshop in Devon, I have been designing and making bespoke furniture for more than thirty years. I undertake projects varying in size from the lectern at Dartington great hall to a fitted kitchen in English oak with thirty two drawers and thirty doors.
I believe furniture needs to work on three levels. First is utility and structure, it must work well and be well made. It must fulfil the function it was designed for. Doors and drawers must open and close easily. A kitchen must have the sink, the drawers, the cooker, in the right place. Wardrobes need the right amount of shelves and rails.
Second is proportion, it should look ‘right’, it should rest easily on the eye. A successful furniture maker must also be a good draftsman. The first stage of any piece of furniture is on paper, and it must work at this stage.
The third aspect is the timber. While there are structural requirements for certain timbers in certain places, particularly in making joinery, ninety five percent of which timber to use when making furniture is down to taste, cost and tradition. All timber when finished and polished has its own unique natural beauty. I try to work to both my customers requirements and to their budget, from the expense of hand selected English hardwoods through to the simplicity of Scandinavian pine.

About Kenneth Streat

Before getting married, having children, settling down in Devon and training in furniture making I spent seven years travelling. I lived in various countries teaching English including Iran and Japan. I became interested in meditation and spent several years in India studying Buddhist meditation. This remains a key interest in my life and I was a trustee of Gaia House, a Buddhist retreat centre near Totnes, for twenty years.