Christmas Deliveries

The festive season is fast approaching. It is our favourite but busiest time of the year.

If you would like to place an order for an item of furniture to be in your home ready for Christmas please order before the 1st of December. 

Although we will still happily take orders after this date we can not guarantee that furniture ordered after the 30th of November will be with you before Christmas.

thank you

holiday dates

making an oak table top

Click image to enlarge.

The smell of freshly oiled oak

Many people, us included, love the smell of freshly oiled oak. 

During our time in the shop we had some customers that admitted to popping in just to smell the newly oiled oak furniture but, love it or hate it, it is certainly distinctive. 

Unless otherwise requested, our oak furniture is finished with oil to offer protection to the piece while retaining the natural character of the wood. This natural oiled finish and the oak itself can create an odour. The majority of wood finishes have an odour whether it be paints, lacquers, waxes or oil. 

The smell of any finish will lessen in time but if you really dislike the smell you could try putting the oiled furniture outside or into a well ventilated room after unpacking it, on most occasions this will help the smell to diminish. Remember to open any drawers or cupboard doors. If this does not reduce the smell and you still find it quite prominent you could use a damp but well wrung out lint free cloth to wipe down the surface. 

To maintain an oiled finish you should give your furniture the occasional coat of oil but use a light coat if you dislike the smell and again, leave the furniture outside to dry or in a well ventilated room.

Oak drop leaf dining table

This beautiful, made-to-order oiled oak dining table is making its way to a customer as I type!

The table displays all the individual characteristics and charm of any handmade oak furniture.

The knots, grain and colour variations make each table completely unique.

Our furniture is always delivered ready assembled which not only adds to the durability of the piece but also means that as soon as your table arrives you can serve dinner!

One year on...

This time last year there were some exciting changes happening here at AJB Interiors. 

We had outgrown our small workshop below the Skipton shop and had decided a move down the road to Bingley to a new, larger workshop was the way forward for our little business. 

We have had a wonderful year. Our customers have supported us through the changes and we have found new customers from up and down the country. 

In the new workshop we can concentrate on the production and design of our furniture while Mark, owner of the Skipton shop, is still stocking pieces of our handmade furniture and taking orders for bespoke items.

Direct orders for our made-to-order furniture have been rolling in from our website and ebay shop with some of our new customers sending lovely emails, leaving great reviews and recommending us to family or friends. This is what keeps small businesses like us going and we couldn't be more grateful for the custom and support we have received over the last 12 months.

This makes us equally excited about the year ahead.

We aim to take what we have learnt from this year and continue into the next delivering an increasing quality of service to our customers, old and new. We hope to carry on pushing AJB Interiors forward, to explore exciting new opportunities and to design and create some great new pieces.

Thank you to everyone for their continued custom and support. 

dear customer...

Thank you! 

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone that has taken the time to leave us feedback, online reviews or sent letters or emails to let us know that they are pleased with our furniture.

We're really proud of the reputation that we have developed over the past 15 years and the feedback we receive from our customers is really important to us. 

The furniture we sell through our ebay shop enables us to get some lovely comments from customers.

A selection of recent feedback left for us through ebay -

“Great quality handmade little table, just what I needed, thanks.” 22-Aug-12 

“Can't say enough thanks - excellent service tip top cheers :)” 17-Aug-12 

“Fantastic Item - made to measure, really pleased ********** Thank You” 16-Aug-12 

“Arrived very quickly, a lot quicker than we expected. Wonderful handmade items!” 15-Aug-12 

“A beautifully made table, carefully pack and dispatched very quickly. Thank you.” 15-Aug-12 

“Great service and quality. Thanks” 12-Aug-12 

“Perfect, thanks” 24-Jul-12 

“A reliable and trustworthy seller, Thanks Antony” 30-Jun-12 

“Very pleased with the tables. Arrived a week before the suggested delivery” 28-Jun-12 

“Fine classic design, well executed and nicely finished A+*****” 28-Jun-12

AJB Interiors featured in...

The Handmade in Britain Daily an online newspaper by Handmade in Britain - The Contemporary Crafts and Design Fair Appreciating British Craftsmanship.

View The Handmade in Britain Daily here

Follow @ajbinteriors

get in touch

How to view examples of furniture by AJB Interiors
•  View a PDF of some of our past pieces by clicking this link -  Examples of Furniture
•  Pop in and visit Mark at his shop in Skipton. Mark can take orders to pass on to us and he also  stocks ready-made pieces of our furniture.

You can find the shop here...

    21 Coach Street
    Skipton 
    North Yorkshire
    BD23 1LH

•  You can request a printed copy of our 'Lookbook' by post (as PDF above) or we can email you a    copy as an attachment.

How to order handmade furniture or receive a quote from AJB Interiors
•  You can buy furniture from our online shop at ajb-interiors.com/shop
•  You can order furniture through our ebay shop.
•  You can pop in to the Skipton shop at the address above and talk to Mark.
•  Contact us directly via email ajbinteiors@hotmail.com or by calling Antony on 07854 330446.

Customer feedback and reviews
• You will find reviews left for us on the freeindex website.
• You can view the feedback we have received on ebay. 
• You can click here to see a selection of customer quotes taken from emails.

Corner tables

Short of space?
Corner tables are a great space saving addition to any room in your home. Ideal for smaller rooms, porches, hallways and landings or any room where space is at a premium.
We can make these oak triangular tables to a size to suit you (medium sized table shown below).

For more details or to order a corner table please get in touch ajbinteriors@hotmail.com

about walnut

Caring for walnut furniture


Scratches and spills

Walnut wood is fairly hard wearing but it is always advisable not to place anything hot or wet directly onto the surface of the furniture. Use tablecloths, place mats and coasters to protect the flat surfaces where possible. 

Any spills should be cleaned up immediately with a dry or barely damp cloth. Wiping spills off immediately helps to prevent stains from forming. Shallow spots can sometime be removed by rubbing with the pad of your (clean) forefinger. 

Take care not to scratch your furniture. Dust with a microfiber cloth or similar when dry dusting. Lift vases, lamps, picture frames and ornaments instead of pushing them aside while dusting.

Finishing

Every six months (or when you feel the furniture needs it) you should oil walnut using a soft cloth and the appropriate finish. Using the soft, clean cloth, apply the oil sparingly to the entire surface of the wood, working in the direction of the grain in smooth circular motion until the oily feel disappears. 

Once applied, gently buff the surface with another clean dry cloth, again in the direction of the grain.

Always read the instructions carefully and consult a professional if you are unsure.

Positioning

It is best to position your furniture away from direct sunlight. Sunlight may have a bleaching effect causing the colour of the wood to fade. Sunlight can also damage the finish of the piece over time. 
Try not to place your furniture too close a radiator or other source of heat as sudden changes in temperature can sometimes cause the wood to dry out.

Follow @ajbinteriors

naturally oak

For centuries oak timber has been used to make furniture that is high quality, long lasting and attractive. As with any natural product, each piece of timber is unique. Differing grains and colourings add to the distinctive character of the wood.

Medullary ray

Medullary rays, sometimes called tiger marks or figuring, refer to the markings and characteristics found in wood. They are found on all pieces of oak furniture.

The medullary rays in oak are an important part of the wood's natural colour variation and characteristic. They occur during the growth phase of the tree and transport nutrition between the main trunk and the outer parts of the tree.

Sometimes mistaken for filler marks, scratches or splashes these medullary rays actually indicate that the item of furniture has been produced from one of the best cuts of oak from the tree. 

Knots

Knots are part of the character of any wood. They occur as a consequence of branches growing on the tree. Knots are not faults but an inherent characteristic of any natural timber. 

As our furniture is handmade every piece is individual with varying degrees of markings, grains, knots, colour and texture. These differing appearances of solid handmade furniture create a character often lacking in mass produced items.

Grain

The structure of wood, which includes annual rings, helps to produce the recognisable grain patterns visable in oak. These growth rings are naturally formed each year as a new layer of wood grows around the tree trunk and branches.

Some oak timber may have more or less grain than others which can create varied patterns on oak such as table tops.

Touch

Finishing oak with oil is one of the most traditional methods and, unless requested, we finish all of our oak with oil. An oil finish brings out the natural beauty of the wood while offering a warm coloured, matt surface. 

Oiled furniture is easy to care for and a light application of oil once a year will keep furniture looking as good as new. Oiled oak leaves the wood’s grain slightly open which gives a lovely tactile, textured surface that is flat to the eye and sometimes slightly rough to the touch.

We don't believe in flat-pack!

Our solid oak dining tables display the individual characteristics and charm of any handmade furniture.
The knots, grain and colour variations make each one unique.

All our furniture is ready assembled which not only adds to the durability of the piece but means that as soon as your table arrives you can serve dinner!

oak furniture care

The benefits of oak furniture

One of the main benefits of choosing oak furniture is its ability to last. Oak is a hardwood with a tight grain which means it is durable and can take almost anything your daily family life can throw at it!

Oak furniture is often considered to be expensive but its enduring quality and sturdiness will stand the test of time. You shouldn't have to replace well made oak furniture through daily use and owning solid oak furniture is an investment that can last a lifetime.

As well as being strong and durable oak is a lovely warm wood. The attractive appearance of oak is down to the grain, which has a subtle variegation, and to its distinctive light golden colour.

As a natural product the texture of the wood surface can vary and is made up of characteristic knots, grain, pattern and colour variations that give the oak its natural beauty and charm.

The individual nature of the wood ensures no two items of furniture are ever exactly the same. Every single item is unique.

Caring for your oak furniture

Keeping your oak furniture looking good is very simple and you will find oak is one of the easiest types of furniture to care for.

With just a small amount of care, your oak furniture will reward you with a lifetime of use. 

As you would imagine, we love wood and we hand select all the timber we use to make our furniture.

Unless requested, we finish our oak with oil. We feel this adds protection to the furniture without taking away from the natural beauty of the wood.

To clean your oiled furniture just dust or wipe it down without using spray or cleaning products and give it a light coat of Danish or Teak Oil when you feel the wood needs it. This might be when the colour begins to look a little tired from natural light or when you feel the wood has dried a little due to the heat in your home. This may need to be done every 6 to 12 months.

These oils are readily available in most DIY shops.

An oiled finish provides your furniture with a light water resistant surface but spills should be soaked up as soon as possible and then dried off with a clean cloth. As all of our table tops are made from solid oak, should you damage the surface of your furniture with a burn, scratch or stain you should be able to remove the damage with light sanding and a reapplication of oil.

Mats and table covers are always a good idea for cups or plates.