A little bit about us at Orpago

The way we work

At Orpago we strongly believe in the heritage of British craftsmanship. We combine modern methods with traditional techniques in all of our work. We source mostly home-grown timbers, sometimes European or American; selected individually for each and every project. We pride ourselves in taking all the time needed to create beautiful, timeless pieces of handcrafted furniture.

Everything is made by hand either at our Devon workshop, before being hand finished, delivered and assembled in your home by our dedicated team. We will only use timber that comes from ethical sources and work closely with organisations such as Grown in Britain, to ensure a sustainable future for all of our woodlands.

Craftsmen

Tom Dorich - Having had a passion for carpentry from a young age, Tom left his career in marketing to pursue his desire for working with wood. Tom spent a number of years working for a well established furniture maker where he mastered his craft, before setting up Orpago with his wife Caroline in 2011. Tom is a lover of good food, the outdoors, salty sea, clean air and exercise. Tom takes enormous pleasure from his home life with his wife and 3 children; growing vegetables in the garden and cooking hearty, wholesome meals. When he's not making in the workshop or at home with his family, he's likely to be running or walking the Devon trails with his dogs; or chasing a ball around a squash court. 

Al Hattersley - Al first approached Orpago in 2021. He's a practical chap who loves working with his hands and a dead keen surfer. When we first spoke, his hobby was crafting surfboards. Keen to start a career as a cabinetmaker, Al took himself up to the North coast of Devon for a year, where he studied full-time at the highly regarded Rowden Atelier Woodworking School. On completion of his course Al started working full-time here at Orpago. When he's not busy making furniture in the workshop, you'd expect to find him either in the waves or sat at home playing blues on his guitar. 

You will find in our workshop various works in progress, be they bespoke commissions, a dining table or a set of chairs from our collections. There is usually a finished piece either waiting to be delivered or with its last coat of oil drying.

We welcome visits from potential clients so that they can discuss the commissions they have in mind, get a picture of exactly what it is we do, have a look at various timbers in their raw form and view the finished pieces that are in the workshop at the time.