When Matt and I opened Cimmermann in Harrogate in 2004, our vision was the same as it is now: to follow our mutual passion for home design and that would be flexible around family life. We are anti-fast furniture and appreciate good design, functionality and craftsmanship.

Our business is a family affair. We started the business just a year after marriage and had our son Harry in 2011. He has grown up with our shop being a part of all our lives. 

We believe in 'buy once, keep forever’, just like you do. Our core product range has remained the same since 2004, and so have our purpose and values and those of our customers.

Many design "trends" have come and gone over time, but the values we share with our customers are about made-to-last designs that enhance our feeling of well-being and express who we are. 

Creating spaces that tell a story is part of creating a more sustainably minded home. 

We have stayed a small business, and it works for us. I developed ME which led Matt and I to take the plunge to follow our shared passion for design and take it as an opportunity to build a business around us and our lifestyle.

Staying small has given us the opportunity to: give us flexible working when we need it, follow our passion for interior design and learn more, focus on the customer experience as our competitive advantage - we have over 100 5* reviews and to stick around for two decades despite the challenges!

We each bring our unique skills to the Cimmermann. I come from a visual and interior design background, and Matt has an in-depth knowledge of our products, the customer experience, and our online store.

Our environment matters to our wellbeing. Our customers are a mix of home and commercial customers, and for both, the impact of great design on well-being is significant. The spaces around us, the light, and the feeling of a piece of furniture can please us and make us feel more creative and productive. Our series' Happiness At Home' explores this.

How people shop has changed. We used to rely solely on our showroom and the customers to visit us. With online shopping, we now reach many more people who love design. After Covid, our showroom is open only by appointment, and it's always a pleasure to meet our lovely customers face to face. We are pretty lucky; our showroom is on a converted farm, we love being surrounded by beautiful countryside, and when working from home, we feel equally fortunate to have an office space in our recently renovated house where we can still be connected to family life but have the space when we need it. It works for us.

We believe inspiration comes from everywhere and that Dieter Ram's principles for good design are spot on ‘good design is honest, long-lasting, avoids being fashionable, and never appears antiquated’

We also find Sheridan Coakley inspiring; he was a pioneer in bringing modern furniture to his iconic showroom in Shoreditch's Curtain Road. SCP's ethos fits with ours: to make beautiful, functional, and lasting products. In addition to making their brand of furniture, they collaborate with a wide range of designers we admire, like Matthew Hilton, Jasper Morrison, and many more. You can read our interview with him in our journal for more.

We also love Copenhagen and suggest that others be super inspired by the Danish lifestyle and their perspective on how to create a home and live in general, read our summer in Copenhagen article to find out more.