Luke Hughes — History

2010

Continuation of works for British Museum and Leighton House (reopened by the Prince of Wales). New furniture used in Westminster Abbey for Papal visit, and in the Middlessex Regiment Chapel of St Paul's Cathedral; new marble altar installed in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh. Design consultancy for the refurbishment of library at Oundle School. Other major projects include all the new furniture of the HQ of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts (with Ian Ritchie Architects) and the completion of the Botanic Institute with Stanton Williams (value £700K). Additional Oxbridge colleges include Brasenose College and St Edmund's Hall, Oxford and Jesus College, Cambridge. Shortlisted for the Walpole Awards for Excellence for outstanding achievement in design, craftsmanship, business and culture. Past winners include Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Dunhill, Paul Smith, Goodwood, Links of London, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Aston Martin and Marc Jacobs. Launch of new website; appointment of Nigel Shepherd as Director of Operations.

2009

New designs for international luxury spa market launched; new corporate table range (MOKI) first developed and installed. Other major design projects include Sainsbury Botanic Institute (Cambridge), St Albans Cathedral, St Giles Cathedral (Edinburgh). UK Supreme Court opened by HM the Queen. Luke Hughes continues lecture tours in Middle East and Australia.

2008

2008 LH begins lecture tours on Sustainability in Design in Far East and Australia. Major projects include Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds and Chichester Cathedral. RBS total spend with LHCL exceeds £6M; credit crunch begins.

2007

Largest corporate project for Unilever (£800K); average annual turnover £3.5M; appointment as designers for UK Supreme Court.

2006

First client for whom collective orders exceed £2M (RBS); 50th Oxbridge college (Gonville & Caius, Cambridge); 25th anniversary celebration held at St George’s, Bloomsbury.

2005

Purchase of freehold of office building.

2004

First client for whom collective orders total more than £1M (BP).

2003

First commission of £750K (Supreme Court LIbrary, Edinburgh).

2002

Increasing use of glass, stone, resins and other materials.

2001

Millennium altar, Bristol Cathedral; extension of corporate work into multi-media.

2000

First venture making spa furniture for luxury international hotels (Mandarin Oriental); Start of exclusive production and marketing of Wales & Wales street furniture; website launched.

1999

Relationships established with wider furniture constituency including Bisley, Wilkhan and Vitra; offices extended to accommodate growing business.

1998

First commission over £500K (St Hugh’s College, Oxford).

1997

Major public commission of furniture for new British Embassy in Moscow.

1996 - 99

First standard ranges of meeting room tables and chairs developed.

1994

Closure of Tisbury workshop in favour of strategic partnerships with other specialist workshops.

1993

Development of relationships with blue chip corporations, merchant banks and legal firms; first corporate order over £350k (CSC).

1996

The company achieves ISO 9001 registration for its quality management.

1993 - 96

Projects evenly distributed between corporate and institutional market.

1992

Growing sales to Oxbridge colleges; first commission for Foreign Office (British Embassy in Buenos Aires); first order over £250k (Merton College).

1991

First Oxbridge commission (Corpus Christi College, Cambridge); first exploitation of computer aided design.

1990

Second BES share issue; establishment of workshop in Tisbury, Wiltshire.

1988 - 89

Development of ranges for retail sector.

1987

Frostbite whilst on Tibet mountaineering expedition forces change of emphasis in favour of producing own designs by other chosen craftsmen.

1986

Formation of Luke Hughes & Co Ltd; first share capital issued under Business Expansion Scheme.

1985

First commercial designs for retail sector; clients include John Lewis Partnership, Liberty’s, Heals, and General Trading Company.

1982 - 84

One-off commissions for private clients.

1981

Luke Hughes moves one-man workshop, making one-off commissions for private clients, from Bloomsbury; purchases freehold in Covent Garden.

Luke Hughes and Company

History