Inspiring Makers 2026: Shaping the future of British craft and design

Building upon past success and now going into its fifth year, Inspiring Makers is being held at Bath’s historic Guildhall on Wednesday 13 May 2026. The day-long event offers a unique platform to connect and inspire emerging designers and makers with leading brands and influential industry voices. The aim is to champion traditional hand skills, preserve British craft and to encourage, train and sustain the dedicated masters of the future.

The not-for-profit conference is co-organised by Artichoke, the Somerset-based interiors studio specialising in world-class design and make of heritage joinery, and The Furniture Makers’ Company – the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry.

Previous touch points have included discussions about sustainability, gender, diversity, education and AI, with this year’s thought provoking line-up of speakers including:

Bill Amberg, Founder of Bill Amberg Studio
With sustainability and innovation as central philosophies, Amberg is one of today’s most respected designers and craft makers in contemporary British furniture and interiors. Celebrating a lifelong dedication to exploring leather’s aesthetic and architectural potential, commissions include Harrods, the Royal Academy of Arts and Westminster Abbey’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries to private residences, yachts, luxury hotels and commercial interiors as well as work in the V&A and the Metropolitan Museum of Art collections.

Caroline Till, Founder of FranklinTill
Founded in 2010, FranklinTill is a design futures consultancy activating design, colour and material innovation for positive social and environmental change. Their work future-proofs the world’s largest brands and organisations, supporting them to remain connected, inspired and relevant, joining the dots between sociocultural shifts, technological innovation and environmental change. Past clients include Samsung, Adidas, Google, Pantone and the V&A. Caroline previously founded and directed the Material Futures postgraduate course at Central Saint Martin’s college of Art & Design, with expertise rooted in sustainable design practices and design innovation. She is co-author of ‘Radical Matter: Rethinking materials for a sustainable future’ published by Thames & Hudson, and guest curator of the exhibition Our Time on Earth which opened at the Barbican in 2022 and continues to tour until 2027.

Belinda Joslin, Founder of Women in Boatbuilding
Belinda grew up sailing on the East Coast rivers, watching the sailing barges in awe but never feeling they were a place for her. Through the Bread and Roses barge project she hopes to create meaningful skills opportunities for women at all levels; to learn basic practical skills; grow their boatbuilding careers; become experienced shipwrights and help to create a more diverse and welcoming maritime industry. There are lessons here for the furniture and furnishings industry, where women are still in a minority and often find some aspects of the workplace challenging. How can we accelerate change and achieve a better gender balance which ultimately will benefit us all?

Fred Baier, Furniture Maker & Designer
Fred Baier is an avant garde British furniture designer and maker who has been working since the 1970s, when he graduated from the Royal College of Art. Some of his original work drew its influence from industrial imagery concepts and featured the use of brightly coloured stained woods. Since the 1970s, Fred has utilised convergent technologies including computers, mathematics, and theories of proportion in his furniture designs. Commissions and exhibitions include the Victoria & Albert Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art, Crafts Council London, the library for the House of Lords as well as public installation pieces.

Freddie Armstrong and Joseph De Ferranti, Founders of Slow Ways
Both graduating from the University of Edinburgh two years ago, and training as makers themselves, Freddie and Joseph have since sought to document Britain’s heritage crafts by walking the length of the country. Their project, titled Slow Ways, was to explore the values gained from working slowly, and how craft offers an opportunity to re-establish our dying connection to the land and its seasonal rhythms. In 2025 the duo spent the summer visiting artisans along their 1,200-mile expedition including furniture makers, tanners, printers, silversmiths and artists. They walked and documented their journey in support of QEST (The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) and Heritage Craft – bringing awareness to the two charities as well as the cultural significance of the UK’s artisanal practices which they will be sharing more of during London Craft Week 2026 at Hoxton’s art’otel.

Neil Fox, COO of Artichoke, said: “Making at this level is a responsibility and privilege that we don’t carry lightly to keep traditional making skills alive. It’s as much about setting the gold standard for what true quality and artistry looks like as it is to inspire future generations. Here in the UK, it takes a fair amount of investment to re-train as a highly skilled craftsperson – something that has become increasingly exclusive which is why our focus is on our own grass roots initiatives to young people. Inspiring Makers alongside our educational outreach programmes such as apprenticeships are a key part of our business to continue to meet the demand for the skill required for the historic and significant homes that we have the honour of working in and in turn supporting British industry.”

David Dewing, chairman of The Furniture Makers’ Company, South West Region said: “This is a conference aimed at anyone with a passion for design, craft and making related to furniture, furnishings and interiors. This is a sector where innovation, high quality skills and exceptional creativity are the key to success. Our chosen speakers will share their experience and expertise and talk about their own journeys, what has worked for them and what motivates them. We’ll hear how they have managed change, how they keep their work exciting and dynamic and what they think about the future of their profession. We expect an audience of around 150 people, mostly at the start of their careers, as well as many already well established. So this is a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests, able to offer advice, make connections and open doors. Our aim is to inspire, so come and be inspired!”

Tickets are £15 for students and £25 for general admission, including lunch and refreshments, limited spaces are available and can be purchased through Eventbrite here.

Inspiring Makers is generously supported by Artichoke, the Furniture Makers’ Company, Sykes Timber, Castelan, Wolf Components, Halstock and Ergochair.