Inspiration

Hi, I’m Chris and I’m the co-owner of Neptune Weybridge. I live nearby in Guildford with my wife, Sophie, who is an artist, our two children, Tabitha and Edward, as well as George the dog and six chickens.

It’s an Arts and Crafts style home built in the 1920s. We’re in the throes of remodelling it, and next year we’re building an extension and putting in a Suffolk kitchen. The current kitchen has an original fitted dresser which will be incorporated into the new pantry so we’ll retain some of the property’s historic design. We’ve got lots of Neptune pieces mixed with antiques we’ve collected over the years throughout the house. My favourite Neptune item is our Eva sofa covered in Isla Fox velvet – a rich, rusty orange – which sits in a panelled room painted in Blakeney Blue. It looks fantastic!

My first job was preparing architectural construction drawings. I worked on a drawing board using ink pens, pencils and a scalpel – I still prefer hand-drawing designs for clients today. Then I moved from architecture into the furniture business when I set up a store with my business partner, Paul.

Paul and I met John [Neptune’s co-founder] about 13 years ago. At the time, Neptune had just started selling kitchens and we were impressed with the way the cabinetry was made. It was built using traditional furniture techniques and, while there was a strong sense of engineering, it wasn’t overly complex. The kitchens were made simply but properly and it meant they could be repaired and reconfigured over the years. I’ve got an antique dresser that uses exactly the same techniques and it still works perfectly because it was built properly and was cared for. Just like Neptune’s pieces. We liked that approach and started selling Neptune kitchens from our store. When the Neptune collection expanded, we decided to open the store on Weybridge High Street – that was six years ago now.

Today, we’re a 12-strong team working in a 4,500 square foot space. Being on the high street gives us a strong link with the local community; people enjoy spending time in the store looking for everything from a gift to take to a dinner party to a new kitchen.

I’m involved in everything from kitchen design and interior projects to working the tills. So yes, quite busy! But it means I understand the business from beginning to end which helps to run it better.

We’ve been involved in creating beautiful family homes in the South of France, holiday homes in Cornwall, and both new and traditional properties in Surrey. Because the kitchen cabinets are designed as individual pieces ra-ther than one fitted kitchen block, they sit comfortably with dining and living room furniture and we can design a whole living space, so it’ll feel considered and cohesive.

I’m fond of the Chichester because it was the original kitchen design and we had one in our previous home. When we sold the house recently, we repainted the cabinetry for the new owners and it looks like new. That’s why it’s important to buy quality – it’ll pay dividends in the future. I think our customers value the fact that they can buy something knowing it’s going to last and won’t end up in landfill.