At Faber, we’re pretty good at sharing the amazing work we do through our portfolio pages. But we thought it was high time we allowed you a peek at our inner workings to take a look at the team responsible for making the magic happen…Here we find out who everyone is and what they do at Faber, but perhaps more importantly we’ve thrown in ten quickfire questions to discover what really makes them tick!
Tony, our Creative Director, established Faber back in 2013 with the vision of developing a design practice exclusively for the restaurant sector. A decade later, the business has a creative team encompassing interiors, graphics, FF&E, and tableware—in addition to project management and quantity surveying, plus its own in-house carpentry and decorating professionals.
A Grimsby native, Tony now lives in a converted 1920s knitwear factory in Leicester, perfectly placed for hopping on the one-hour train to Central London or bombing across the M6 to Faber's Birmingham studio and workshops (in his Porsche, the show off!).
Our founder is passionate not just about design, but also making. In fact, that’s where his inspiration for the company name 'Faber' came from…And whether tinkering in his home workshop or overseeing our team of craftsmen, Tony is a big believer in the importance of craft, and the overlap between creative and technical disciplines.
When not in the studio or workshop, he loves to travel—often combining both work and pleasure. And as Faber’s projects get more geographically diverse, this is something he will have increasing opportunities to do!
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Positive, resilient, determined.
What is your greatest achievement?
Creating Faber and Company, our team and our culture. It's the most incredible group of humans (ok, so I may be biased!) that are not only brilliant in their respective disciplines, but are also lovely people. We work together, always pushing to do great work and never compromising our creative integrity.
What made you want to become a designer?
From as early as I can remember, I always loved drawing. When I was nine years old I saw a set of architectural blueprints for a small house extension; I was blown away by how it depicted every brick and roof tile! I dabbled with the idea of becoming an architect, but ultimately loved the creative freedom of designing interiors.
What's your favourite Faber project?
I get asked this all the time! And I always struggle to answer, as they’re all so different…In some ways, it tends to be the most recent one—in which case I would say Legacy at The Grand Hotel, York. But the real answer is I love our portfolio as a whole, the breadth of styles showing that each project is a truly unique response to its client brief.
What's your feel-good song?
At the moment I'd say Red Light Spells Danger by Billy Ocean. I challenge anyone to not feel awesome when they listen to it!
If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Japan. I love the food, the craftsmanship and design, and the culture.
How would you describe your perfect weekend?
Last minute hopping on a train to Paris before arriving at a quintessential Parisian apartment. I'd spend the weekend exploring the city on foot, grab lunch at La Fontaine, followed by champagne and a seafood supper at Prunier with chef Yannick Alléno!
What are you most afraid of?
Spiders. Open wounds. Failure.
Pet hates?
Inconsiderate people, people with no manners (it costs nothing!), and the fact we outlive our pets…
What three items could you not live without?
My phone (sad but true!), spectacles, coffee.
