Ashwood Designs embraces innovation and investment while preserving the craftsmanship behind two decades of British upholstery success
From a standing start to one of Britain’s leading sofa manufacturers, Ashwood Designs (Ashwood) has spent more than 20 years building a reputation for quality, innovation, and flexibility. Founded in 2005 by industry veterans Richard Smart and Stuart Youngs following the closure of the Christie Tyler Group, Ashwood’s early success supplying DFS laid the foundations for rapid growth. Today, the South Wales-based manufacturer produces around 1500 pieces of upholstered furniture every week, supplying almost 400 independent retailers across the UK and Ireland, alongside major multiples, national retailers, and recognized brands.
Now a part of DMIG, the UK’s largest upholstery manufacturing group, Ashwood continues to evolve. From its market-leading approach to motion furniture and an unrivalled choice of fabrics to its return to upholstered bed production, the business is combining British manufacturing know-how with the flexibility that today’s retailers demand.
Will Cawson, Ashwood’s Design Director, began his journey in UK upholstery in 2004, fresh out of university with a BA in furniture and product design. After working with several big-name brands, Will joined the company in 2025 and, with the business under new ownership and exciting plans ahead, jumped straight into action. Now, a year and a half later, he joins Manufacturing Today to divulge in some of Ashwood’s most recent developments.
Perhaps one of the company’s most exciting changes is its recent acquisition of Buoyant Upholstery, a leading furniture manufacturer based in Nelson, Lancashire. “Our owners are looking to grow the leading UK furniture manufacturing group, and bringing Buoyant into the frame is a real statement in our industry,” Will begins. “Whilst there is naturally a lot of similarity, we are also quite different businesses, so there’s a focus on shared learning, whether that be on manufacturing scale, product development processes, or communicating with retail partners and customers. We can still both hold on to our DNA whilst supporting and opening doors for one another.”
While both businesses have a strong appreciation for traditional craftsmanship and the skills that underpin quality upholstery, Will highlights that there are clear opportunities to learn from one another. This includes embracing new technologies and processes that improve efficiency, consistency, and scale, without compromising the characteristics and strengths of either business.
“Making a quality sofa is still and, to some extent, always will be heavily reliant on hand-craft and time-honored skills. That doesn’t mean, however, that we can’t look at better, faster, and more efficient ways of doing things,” Will elaborates. “In the last 12 months alone, we have invested in two new Lectra machines in our cutting room, with bespoke capabilities to support different tasks. We have also heavily invested in our wood mill to ensure that the foundation of a quality piece is built to last. Consistency and accuracy are never more important in upholstery than in the frame so, for both volume and our level of flexibility, we recently acquired new CNCs, a beam saw, and a Salvador cross-cut saw, along with a new extraction system and upgraded power to support.”
Driving innovation in Ashwood’s product offering, these investments are providing the company with greater precision, consistency, and flexibility in the manufacturing process. This continued innovation is illustrated in Ashwood’s new motion furniture range, which combines sophisticated mechanisms with the comfort, quality, and elegant design for which its sofas are known.
“Motion furniture is a growing market, and I’m proud to say that in terms of UK manufacturing, Ashwood is seen as a leader,” Will enthuses. “In 2021, we introduced the Motion Lounger to our portfolio – a UK first. This was a shift towards a simpler mechanized sofa, which solely involves raising and lowering a kickboard behind the users’ legs to give a built-in, elevated footrest. Its simplicity is its superpower, as it attracts a customer who doesn’t necessarily want all the bells and whistles, and the obviously visible controls and mechanics.
“Our Cloud Zero recliners were also a first for Ashwood, which give a full reclining footrest, seat, and back, but with an elevated full-resting position to promote better posture and circulation. More recently, we introduced our Otis range, which has become one of our leading collections. Otis features a full Cloud Zero recliner mechanism, but also incorporates a power telescopic headrest, giving the user complete flexibility and control of the seating, reclining, and resting position. It’s a fabulous product!”
For Ashwood, developing motion furniture goes beyond the mechanism itself, with comfort remaining at the heart of every design. From the simplicity of the Motion Lounger through to the versatility of Otis, each innovation has required close collaboration with mechanism and foam specialists, alongside extensive development to ensure the technology is seamlessly integrated without compromising comfort.
“In terms of research and development, we work closely with leading global mechanism producers to ensure we are at the forefront of new options for motion. The mechanism in many ways is the easy part; we just have to make it fit,” Will explains. “We will make several iterations around a new mech to ensure we are satisfied it shares the comfort we are renowned for. Otis is the perfect example of that. Most of our sofas have what we call loose seats and backs; they are independent of the sofas’ structural upholstery. Fixed seats and backs present different challenges, in specifying the correct padding and foams to create the right combination of desired comfort with the required durability. Again, we have amazing relationships with our foam suppliers and work closely with their own development teams to create something truly ‘Ashwood’.”
From the development of new mechanisms to the careful selection of foams and padding, collaboration plays a key role in achieving the right levels of quality and comfort. That attention to detail extends beyond the products themselves, underpinning the strong relationships that the company has built with its customers and retail partners. This combination has not only supported Ashwood’s continued growth but has also earned the business significant recognition from across the industry. In fact, Ashwood was recently the winner of a Trade & Supplier Award, which showcases excellence within the industry.
“Over the years Ashwood has been recognized with several industry awards relating to customer satisfaction, supply, best in category, even best stand at trade shows,” Will says. “Of course, receiving awards is great, but the most important thing it does is help to cement our relationships with our retail customers. The recognition is an added layer of confidence for them when buying and, more importantly, selling Ashwood products.”
That confidence from its partners and customers alike is particularly important as Ashwood looks ahead to the future. Despite the challenges facing the wider industry, the strength of those relationships, combined with promising new ranges and a refreshed management team, provides a solid foundation for the next stage of the business. With that in place, Ashwood is well-positioned to build on its progress and embrace the opportunities ahead.
“It’s been a challenging year for the industry, but we are seeing positive early signs coming out of the summer 2026 period. We have clear growth plans ahead of us and we have put some great new ranges placed in the market recently, from which we are already seeing promising results,” Will affirms, concluding our conversation. “Our new Ashwood management team is now settled, with Nichola Page as Managing Director, Jason Bailey as Finance Director, and the recent addition of Lee Armstrong as Sales Director, so 2027 will see the first signs of the future for a new Ashwood!”
For Ashwood, the next chapter is about building on more than two decades of British upholstery expertise while embracing the opportunities that lie ahead. Investment in technology, product development, and people is giving the business the capability to grow without losing the craftsmanship, flexibility, and attention to comfort that have defined its success.
With the acquisition of Buoyant Upholstery adding further strength to the wider DMIG group, a refreshed leadership team in place, and a pipeline of new products already delivering promising results, the foundations for the future are firmly established. If the early signs of 2026 are anything to go by, 2027 could be a defining year for Ashwood – one that sees the business enter its next phase with confidence, ambition and, importantly, the continued trust of its retail partners.
