HOME + GARDEN
SDM WILLIAMS
Based between Canterbury and Whitstable, and with 22 years of experience across all aspects of carpentry and joinery, Scott Williams is passionate about creating beautiful bespoke interiors on projects such as kitchens, wardrobes, media walls, bathroom cabinets and storage solutions.
Keen to adapt to each project’ s unique and individual needs rather than hone a signature look, Scott’ s work ranges from traditional styling to modern and minimal, using a large range of top quality materials.
Scott, tell us more about your joinery and carpentry journey so far. I started my apprenticeship at the age of 17 in a joinery company located in Whitstable that focused on traditional joinery of doors, windows, staircases and cabinet work. After completing my apprenticeship, I progressed in the company before deciding to go out by myself and start up SDM Williams Carpentry and Joinery, where I began doing first and second fix carpentry before deciding to focus more on cabinet work and bespoke joinery.
What are the first steps in your design and build process on a new project? The first steps are all about meeting the customer and getting to know what they want or need from the project, as well as looking at the budget and discussing what finishes and materials we can incorporate into the joinery items. For the design element, I look at the space available to create the project, making sure we maximise the storage with minimal compromise.
How do you balance practicality with aesthetics when creating bespoke pieces? I like to make sure the project is practical for the customer first before focusing on the aesthetics as I wouldn’ t want to create something that looks nice, but is unusable. Each project is catered for individual customers, sometimes incorporating hidden storage elements so it doesn’ t affect the aesthetics of the overall look.
How do you incorporate sustainability practices into your designs / builds? All timber materials are purchased through companies that source their materials from responsibly sourced manufacturers. I also use software to create cutting lists to make sure wastage is down to a minimum and I only use water-based products for finishes, such as paints and lacquers.
What benefits would you say bespoke elements bring to a home? By creating bespoke joinery, you can maximise the space available to you using areas such as under stairs for storage and wardrobes to fit into a sloped ceiling or roof space. Another benefit is being able to personalise your home using bespoke finishes to create one-off items that suit your style and that are unique to your home only.
Do you have a favourite project? What made it so special? One of my favourite projects to date is definitely the Bushy Field project, located in Herne Bay. The project started in July 2023 with a large front door and finished with the final cabinet work in April 2024. It’ s special to me because I got to work closely with both the customers and the architect in designing and creating multiple different style joinery items throughout the house. Being able to use different materials and finishes for completely bespoke items in each room made the project challenging and satisfying to work on.
How do you see traditional craftsmanship evolving alongside new technologies in design and build? Unfortunately, I see that some elements of traditional joinery will be lost to the growth
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