The Dark Art of Upholstery: Building a Bespoke British Furniture Business from the Ground Up
Yours For The Making with Robin JohnsonShow Notes
Robin Johnson sits down with Jeff McGurty, founder and owner of D&P Upholstery in Gateshead, one of the North East's most established bespoke upholstery businesses. Jeff built his company from a one-man band operating out of evenings and weekends into a seven-person team with a brand new, five times larger workshop in Team Valley. In this episode, Jeff and Robin pull back the curtain on the upholstery trade: a craft that is simultaneously a dark art, a dying art, and a business full of genuine opportunity for those who approach it with curiosity and commercial instinct. They cover the nuts and bolts of running a split commercial and domestic upholstery operation, the frustrations of dealing with premium fabric suppliers, the smart play of building a client base through interior designers, and the calculated growth decisions that took Jeff from moonlighting in a small unit to leading a team and developing a new product range under his own brand, Forme. If you work in the trades, run a craft business, or simply love hearing how skilled makers build real businesses from raw skill, this episode delivers. Key Topics Covered The realities of running a bespoke upholstery business in the UK today Why targeting interior designers is one of the smartest growth strategies in the trades The frustrations of dealing with high-end fabric suppliers and why cheaper fabrics often outperform expensive ones How Jeff grew DNP Upholstery by buying an existing business, retaining its staff, and scaling it up The role of AI visualisation software in transforming how designers and clients spec upholstery projects The modular sofa system that allows Jeff to offer 20 different designs without building 20 different sofas The honest truth about taking on apprentices and the rising cost of employing people Why hiring a floor manager was the single biggest change that unlocked business growth The decline of British furniture manufacturing and what the upholstery trade looks like today Plans for upholstery workshops open to the public and why they double as a powerful marketing tool Jeff's advice for anyone wanting to get into upholstery as a career
Enjoying the show? Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world. Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love. Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms. Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.
Key Moments: 00:00 Robin introduces Jeff McGurty and opens with the idea of upholstery as a dark art, hidden craft work that disguises whatever sits beneath it 01:30 Jeff breaks down the 50/50 split between domestic re-upholstery and commercial bespoke seating, and how subcontracting frame-making keeps the operation lean 02:35 The pair dig into the absurdity of dealing with premium fabric suppliers: week-long quotes, discontinued stock, and bureaucratic trade account processes that slow down real work 04:12 Jeff compares expensive fabrics to designer brands and explains why mid-range fabrics with strong rub-test results often do a better job 05:59 Jeff's origin story: Sports Science, two weeks of work experience as a PE teacher, and a summer job that changed everything 0
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