.png)
Time flies when you're at the helm. Sitting down to write this, it occurred to me that I really should have put pen to paper for my first anniversary. I do keep a monthly journal and have recently re-read my notes from the first 12 months as the new owner, let’s just say it makes for a bit of a rollercoaster read.
Stepping into the shoes of our retired founder was a massive honor, and navigating the various political and economic storms since taking over has certainly kept us all on our toes. But today, looking back at what we’ve achieved, I am filled with an immense sense of pride. We are stronger than ever, with a wonderful pipeline of projects stretching well into next year.
That resilience is entirely down to the exceptionally experienced, hard-working, and supportive team I was fortunate enough to inherit. They are a brilliantly creative and highly skilled group of people, and it is a genuine privilege to work alongside them.
The past two years has seen us opening our doors for exciting new collaborations. We loved hosting the interior designers Studio 9 Living for a basement pop-up shop, a three-month project that was so successful they stayed for a year before heading over to Borough Yards.
We’ve also focused heavily on supporting local talent. For last year's Artwave, we invited a talented, up-and-coming local artist - Eddie Clark - to exhibit in our showroom. He was a huge success with our customers, and sold many of his original works. Now that he’s completed his first year of a Fine Art Degree course at Leeds University, we are thrilled to welcome him back this year and are delighted he will be hosting an exclusive private view.
We’ve even brought a taste of the local area into our client experience through a wonderful brand association with Artelium vineyard, located just a stone's throw from our workshop. Now, each of our clients receives a celebratory bottle of their Blanc de Blanc crafted alongside where their kitchen was made in Plumpton Green. Artelium shares the same values as Alistair Fleming: a respect for traditional craftsmanship, championing creativity, making locally, and commitment to excellence.
We’ve also continued our journey of creating more original furniture designs, my personal highlight of which was the The Foundry Drinks cabinet, designed by Ollie Clark, a version of which is displayed in our showroom window.
.png)
When I took over, I wanted to anchor everything we do in five core values: Commitment, Balance, Integrity, Excellence, and Growth. We endeavor to live these every day. Of course, there are tough days, but I focus on making things just 1% better than they were the day before, and I always make it a point to leave the showroom at the end of the day with a smile about something positive: which inevitably there is.
Every day, we get to work with the most beautiful and exquisite materials, designing for wonderful people and their homes. We are incredibly honoured to do so.
While the team brings technical mastery, my focus is on top-tier customer service whilst leading an inspired team and looking forward. There are some exciting things lined up in the showroom for this coming September, which I am looking forward to sharing as the Summer progresses.
To the magnificent AF team: thank you for your dedication. And to our clients, thank you for trusting us with your homes.
Year three is officially underway.
