“Where you find quality, you will find a craftsman, not a quality-control expert” 

Sitting Spiritually is now fast approaching its 20th year & working quietly behind the scenes is our amazing team, who all possess a variety of skills. 

As we draw to the close of another year, we felt it timely to shine the spotlight on them as they are often in the shadows, but are what makes Sitting Spiritually tick.

One thing of particular note is the longevity of the team, from Steve who joined at the start, to Siobhan who has worked closely alongside Martin for almost 16 years, we think it is absolute testimony to the company that we have such a stable, enduring and committed team.

So, here they are, in alphabetical order & with a gallery of faces at the bottom of this blog.

ALEX DE BONO

Alex joined Sitting Spiritually in 2013.  His connection with working with timber started at an early age with his Father who was a highly skilled Carpenter/Joiner.  Alex makes a wide range of our products, but his speciality is making and installing bespoke pergolas. If you order a bespoke pergola to be installed by us, it will be Alex who visits you to deliver and build your pergola on site, he offers a fantastic service and our customers love him, he has just returned from a project in Edinburgh for us, & another in Ireland, so distance is certainly not a hindrance.

BOB ANDREWS

Bob is a longstanding friend of Martin’s and when retirement beckoned in 2016 he knew he would not want to be idle, so approached Martin for some part time work.  He swiftly took over the workshop at Sitting Spiritually HQ and ensures that all stock and supplies are kept in order, delivering all necessary components to each maker for every commission ensuring a smooth process for the team.

GREG SHANNON

Greg started for Sitting Spiritually by working alongside his Father, Nick Shannon, a Furniture Restorer who also worked for us in the early years. His relationship with Sitting Spiritually is a family affair.  Nick was involved with Sitting Spiritually at the very start in 2004, taking on commissions alongside his own work, Greg became a full time maker for Sitting Spiritually, working from his workshop in Seatown, Dorset.  Greg makes our swing seats, but is also our specialist restorer, taking on refurbishments for customers on our furniture that they have had for some years.  Greg's sister Maisie also works with us, she makes all our cushions and mattress covers.

JAMES AMATO

James has over 25 years of furniture making and design experience.  James has his own workshop in Axminster and is one of our longest standing makers. He is an extremely experienced and skillful maker who also works closely with us on new designs and bespoke commissions.  Look out for an exciting new design development that he has worked on with Siobhan to celebrate our 20th Anniversary next year.  

MAISIE SHANNON

Greg’s sister, Maisie originally was our only female joiner, but later branched out as she is a highly skilled seamstress and now makes all our cushions and mattress covers from her Bridport Studio, where she also  makes beautiful clothes using vintage fabrics.

NEIL LANCASTER

Neil lives very rurally in with his wife, Siobhan, who has worked closely with Martin for many years.  He became Sitting Spiritually's rope swing maker in 2010 and makes the rope swings from his bucolic workshop in deepest Devon, surrounded by a plethora of animals and wildlife.

SCOTT MCCARTHY "WOODSCOTT"

Scott has been working with wood for over 35 and has been a member of the team for 14 years. He has worked in all aspects of carpentry, joinery, and the building trade, and has his own business, Woodscott Joinery, in Axminster Devon.  Scott has a fantastic workshop in the old Axminster Carpets buildings, where it is wonderful to see local artisans keeping this historic building alive.  Scott is also instrumental in developmental ideas and is our go to maker for our Affinty Painted Range.

SIOBHAN LANCASTER

Siobhan joined Sitting Spiritually in 2009, and has worked very closely with Martin since then, helping him develop and run the business in all aspects. She has contributed many ideas for new products & works closely with James to develop these pieces. She administers all the commissions, from acknowledging orders with customers, to deciding which maker will make what, arranging the deliveries to customers and checking that all runs smoothly from the instant an order is placed.  She also takes take of all the PR for the company and has built a successful relationship with many journalists and prestigious magazines.

STEVE WOOD

We have been delighted to welcome Steve back to the fold.  He was a maker for Sitting Spiritually in the very early days, before taking a lengthy sabbatical to pursue his own interests.  Steve joined us again and it is a joy to have him back on board.  Steve has a particular skill in hand carving and is responsible for the beautiful Four Seasons Carvings you will see in our RHS Four Seasons Bench.  Steve is our longest standing maker.

Also of special note are these independent companies & individuals who have worked alongside us for many years:

Saturn Removals, who take care of all our deliveries, handling the commissions with the utmost care, travelling the length and breadth of the country, installing and assembling swing seats & frames in gardens across the country, from urban, to rural, to coastal.  Our customers speak very highly of Richard & Kevin, twin brothers who own the company.

Relative Marketing  designing all our printed literature, from brochures, booklets, postcards to print advertising

Sonder Digital our "techy" team, taking care of all things digital, from our website to our content managment system

Anna Sissons  & Woody Morley  our Sitting Spirituallly Gardeners, maintaining and developing the beautiful garden that showcases our furniture

With many thanks to Rob Coombe Photography

If you would like to contribute a guest blog, please contact Siobhan at siobhan@sittingspiritually.co.uk