Made in Cornwall…for Chelsea. Cornish Upholstery Company has luxury London market sewn up

150 150 Daniel Fountain
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Penwith Upholstery, based in Redruth, is expanding after winning a clutch of contracts to upholster interior furniture at several up market venues in the capital.Their success story started last summer after the company secured a contract to supply bespoke seating for the Tonteria nightclub in Sloane Square, the latest venture for nightclub owner Guy Pelly and close friend of Prince William.

From that job, word of Penwith Upholstery’s specialist skills in ‘banquette’ (bench style) seating spread among the members of London’s exclusive after hours set.

Orders for jobs at more high-end venues started coming in and today business from London clientele accounts for more than 80% of the company’s turnover.

Some of their latest commissions include The Chelsea Brasserie in Sloane Square, Margaux Wine Bar in Chelsea, Amika boutique nightclub in Mayfair and Veeraswamy, London’s oldest Indian restaurant, in Regent Street.

Chartered Surveyors Miller Commercial have just negotiated a new lease for Penwith Upholstery to relocate to a larger unit, more than twice the size of their previous base, at Bells Business Park, Cardrew.

Sarah Bawden, who owns Penwith Upholstery, has been overseeing the move. She says finding bigger premises was vital in order to service the increase in the volume of work.

She says “Today’s success is a very different story from the difficult times we were facing in 2011. The decision we took then, to focus our efforts on niche up-market venues has paid off.

Clients in and around London are choosing us over the larger longer established upholstery firms.

I think they appreciated the ‘Cornish connection’ and the more bespoke, niche nature of our company.

Closer to home we undertake upholstery projects in the Healthcare and Marine sectors. Doctors and dental surgeries, work for the MOD and merchant ships.

But here too we’re getting more commissions at the high-end of the market, working in association with Pendennis Shipyard on the interior of luxury super yachts.

Things are really looking good for us right now. We’ve taken on more staff and are considering branching out into soft furnishings which would complement our existing work.

Whatever new business our future brings we plan to stay based firmly in Cornwall.”

Daniel Fountain / 14.02.2014

Editor, Hotel Designs

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Fun fact: I’m usually the person friends rely on to organise trips, schedules, and group plans.

Workhighlights: Successfully coordinating events from planning through to delivery and seeing everything come together on the day.

Fun fact: I’m a keen cyclist and will happily bore people with copious amounts of cycling chat. My top cycling experience (so far) would have to be riding in the spectacular mountains of Crete.

Work highlights: Charles joined Forum Events in 2022. With a background in publishing, editorial media and events, Charles brings a wealth of experience to his role as Senior Production Manager. Having being involved with SPACE from the outset, he is excited to see the brand grow and develop.

Fun fact: People tell Sienna she gives off Bridget Jones vibes, and she loves to bake, always making sure there are shortbreads floating around the office

Work highlights: Sienna joined Forum Events & Media Group while studying Communications and Media, starting in the sales team where she managed and helped launch the first the PA Life Leading Venues of London SHOWCASE, where she built relationships with luxury venues across the capital. Drawn to the stories behind these spaces, she naturally transitioned into the editorial team, creating social media and editorial content. Upon graduating in June 2026, she is excited to be joining as Assistant Editor for Hotel Designs and SPACE.

Fun fact: When not working, Jess can usually be found tending to her kitchen garden in the Sussex countryside or foraging for herbs in the nearby woods. A keen grower, she recently studied a RHS Level 2 Diploma in the Principles of Horticulture during her spare time.

Work highlights: Jess joined SPACE magazine in 2022 and has since progressed from Assistant Editor to Editor. During this time, she has worked across many aspects of the publication – from shaping editorial strategy and overseeing operations to contributing to art direction and representing the brand on stage at industry events including Surface Design Show and WOW!house.

Alongside her role at SPACE, Jess has built a creative career spanning the arts, culture, design and travel sectors. Prior to joining the magazine, she spent more than a decade in the commercial art industry, in artist liaison, gallery management, and curating collections for the hospitality sector across hotels and cruise ships. During this time, she also worked on freelance projects as a writer, photographer, and creative content producer.
 
Jess studied photojournalism at London College of Communication and the Danish School of Media and Journalism and holds a first-class BA (Hons) in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins.

Fun fact: Katy has spent years perfecting all kinds of accents and loves a good impersonation!

Work highlights: Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand.

During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, Accessible Design Talks and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.
 
Most recently Katy has stepped in to the role of Publisher at SPACE magazine, the printed bi-monthly publication focused on hotel design, architecture, and development.

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