OUR CRAFT
HOW WE CHOOSE WHAT'S WORTH KEEPING
Ardenholt & Co isn’t trying to fill rooms; it’s trying to earn shelf space. Every nutcracker, smoker, chess set and ornament passes through the same filter: is this something someone would happily live with for years, not seasons.
That’s why the process starts long before a piece appears on the site. Makers are researched, workshops visited where possible, and samples lived with – handled, re‑packed, brought out again – before anything joins the collection.
Curation, not catalogue building
Instead of offering endless variations, Ardenholt deliberately keeps the range small. The question is never “Can we sell this?” but “Would we keep this?”
When a piece is considered, we look for:
-
Proportion and presence – does it feel right in the hand and in a room.
-
Material integrity – solid woods, honest finishes, leather and metals that improve with age.
-
Character without gimmicks – faces, forms and details that still look good when the trend passes.
If it feels disposable, it doesn’t make it in.
EXQUISITE SELECTION
Working with workshops, not factories
Many Ardenholt pieces come from family workshops where a nutcracker, smoker or game set still passes through a series of individual hands. Turners, carvers, painters and finishers each leave their mark in small, human imperfections that mass production irons out.
Rather than demanding volume at any cost, Ardenholt looks for:
-
Clear provenance – where it was made, by whom, and how.
-
Sustainable pace – lead times that respect the way the workshop actually works.
-
Willingness to refine – small changes in finish or detail that make a piece distinctly Ardenholt.
Design for use, not just display
However beautiful an object is in a photograph, it still has to work in real life. Chess sets are chosen for boards that are satisfying to play on, not just to photograph. Nutcrackers and ornaments are judged by how they feel to pick up, pack away and bring out again each year.
Practical details are part of the craft:
-
Proportions that sit comfortably on a mantelpiece or bookshelf.
-
Finishes that tolerate being handled, dusted and stored.
-
Packaging that protects pieces between seasons without feeling wasteful.
The aim is for Ardenholt pieces to age with the household, acquiring stories rather than scuffs that feel like flaws.
TIME-HONORED CRAFTSMANSHIP
Crafted for keeping
“Our craft” ultimately comes down to restraint: saying no far more often than yes. If a piece doesn’t feel like it could plausibly become “the one we always put there” in someone’s home, it stays on the cutting room floor.
What remains is a considered set of objects – made in workshops that care, chosen by people who expect to keep them, and sent out with the quiet assumption that they’ll be part of the furniture for a long time.
