FOR the past 50 years, Thwaite Holme has been making bespoke kitchen and bedroom furniture, and the anniversary last year was a time to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future.

The company does everything from design right through to installation and three-quarters of its business are kitchens, of which there are several on display. Constructed with an obvious flair for design and style, they’re also built to last. There’s a mix of natural and painted finishes; walnut cupboards sitting alongside a petrol blue island with a high-tech Bora hob. There’s also a Quooker tap that dispenses boiling, chilled and even sparkling water. Yet despite all the technology, the kitchens retain a heritage look.

Thwaite Holme was established in 1972 by Bob Postlethwaite, who started making pine tables, chairs and Welsh dressers in a small workshop next door to the family home at Lingey Close, Dalston. As the years went on, he was joined by his three sons and branched out into fitted cabinet furniture, specialising in kitchens.

Now there’s a team of 10 craftsmen using a combination of traditional techniques and state-of-the-art machinery. A recent development has been to triple the size of the workshop to 1,000 square metres.

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