On a seemingly normal industrial estate on the edge of Wrexham, a business quietly supplies some of the most extravagant furniture on the planet. There are no glossy shopfronts or designer windows, yet this unlikely setting has become a destination for billionaires, financiers and global celebrities with very specific tastes and even deeper pockets.
A Touch-Sensitive Trunk
Among the most eye-catching creations to emerge from the workshops is an elephant-shaped child’s high chair, complete with a touch-sensitive trunk that can trumpet through a built-in speaker and microphone. The price tag is £80,000. While most toddlers manage perfectly well without interactive wildlife at the dinner table, the piThece reflects the kind of commissions the company has become known for.
The firm is Silverlining Furniture, founded more than three decades ago by master cabinet maker Mark Boddington, a member of the Boddingtons brewing family. From this modest location, his team produces one-off furniture for private estates, penthouses, mansions and superyachts. A single bespoke coffee table can cost £250,000, while full dining sets have reached £1 million.
The requests are often as remarkable as the prices. Past commissions have included a writing desk with a concealed drawer designed to hide a handgun, a table robust enough to support a troupe of belly dancers, and also a revolving bed installed in a turret so its owner could follow the sun throughout the day. Not every idea makes it off the drawing board. They politely declined a request for a bed that would physically separate during marital arguments.
A Roll Call of Global Wealth
Silverlining’s client list reads like a roll call of global wealth and fame, including Kevin Costner, Madonna, Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and, also, previously, David Bowie. Boddington himself explains the appeal: “We cater for an extremely small group of people who understand design and know what they want. This is not for your footballers’ wives Cheshire crowd.”
The elephant high chair was commissioned by an American financier and his wife as a gift for their first grandchild, alongside animal-themed companions, including monkeys, giraffes and flamingos. Boddington is unapologetic about the indulgence. “These people have limitless amounts of money,” he said. “They want to own things that are unique and also unavailable anywhere else in the world. That’s why they come here.”
Macassar Ebony
Each piece can take up to 18 months to complete, using materials that range from macassar ebony and English rippled sycamore to semi-fossilised bog oak thousands of years old, centuries-old reindeer hide and even dried fish skins. Skilled craftspeople from across Europe handle everything from marquetry to leatherwork before then shipping and installing the finished items anywhere in the world.
For those inside the workshop, the appeal is creative freedom. Former Louis Vuitton designer Mathilde Maugey, now based in Wrexham, summed it up simply: “Here, every single item is completely different. No project is the same.”
Images for illustration purposes only, as Love Wrexham did not obtain permission to reproduce images of Silverlining Furniture products, but if we sparked your curiosity with this article, take a peek at their website.
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