Windermere’s Lakeland Fells Furniture Ltd has reached the finals of the Cumbria business awards.
The quality furniture maker has been shortlisted for the manufacturer of the year award, and some of the region’s top hotels say that recognition is well deserved.
Lakeland Fells, a small young team led by local man Andrew Smith, has developed a reputation for quality, attention to detail, and responding quickly and imaginatively to customers’ needs and requests. They recently completed a £65,000 contract for Lancashire County Council to equip bedrooms and dormitories at the Tower Wood outdoor pursuits centre. In contrast, they have worked with a number of high-end hotels in the locality.
They made furniture for two award-winning hotels, the Cranleigh boutique hotel in Bowness, and Windermere’s Cedar Manor Hotel, which were listed numbers one and two in the 2013 Travellers’ Choice Awards for the Most Romantic Hotels. The bedrooms at Cedar Manor were all fitted with locally-made furniture from Lakeland Fells, using eco-friendly hardwood. The company also made the furniture for the bar, reception and two bedrooms at the Cranleigh. Cedar Manor won the best international hotel interior award in 2011, and has just been judged Best Small Hotel in the Cumbria Tourism awards.
One major contract was for fitted wardrobes and units for the Windermere Marina Village, completing a huge emergency order following the flood damage there. LFF also made furniture for the reception area and guest lounge at the luxury Hapimag timeshare resort in Bowness.
Clients paid tribute to the company and their attention to quality and detail. Jonathan Kaye, owner of the Cedar Manor Hotel, said: “Andrew at Lakeland Fells Furniture has furnished all our upgraded rooms and designed beautiful furniture that is in keeping with the age of the hotel but also delivering style and quality. The furniture is hand-crafted and built to last for the life of the hotel and longer. The after-sales service is also second to none, and we are always assured of excellent customer service from the team at Lakeland Fells.”.
Stephen Hargreaves, owner of the Cranleigh Hotel said: “We use Andrew and his team because they care about what they do and they want the finished product to be right for you. We would not use anyone else in the area. We have built up a great working relationship with Lakeland Fells and they have produced some fantastic products for us that our customers fall in love with. If you want attention to detail and people that care working for you then you’re in the right hands with Andrew and his team.”
Jason Dearden, managing director of Windermere Marina Village said: “We have used Lakeland Fells Furniture on three major projects totalling nearly 50 holiday-let properties. They have completed a wide variety of quality pieces for us in both bedrooms and living areas. We have found them flexible to work with and they always come up with innovative and practical ideas to complete any room.”
Award-winning designer Alison Tordoff , of Fidget Design, said: “I have worked with Andrew Smith for many years on various challenging and interesting projects and he always rises to the challenge. His firm’s understanding and interpretation of our designs is excellent.”
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