Sir Terence Conran is one of the giants of British design, revolutionising our attitudes to furniture and to food. He set up his own design business in 1956 and launched the first Habitat Store in 1964. Later he founded the Conran Shop as well as setting up Benchmark Furniture with Sean Sutcliffe.

The Conran Roche architecture and planning consultancy, created in partnership with Fred Roche, was responsible for the conversion of the Michelin Garage into Bibendum and of the Bluebird Garage. Conran played a major part in the redevelopment of Shad Thames Street on the Southbank of the Thames in London, putting several of his signature restaurants there and founding the Design Museum.

Sebastian Cox is a furniture designer and maker with a strong belief that sustainable design does not have to result in a boring or compromised product. He hand makes simple and elegant pieces which have won awards and are recognised for their imaginative use of underused timbers – particularly coppiced hazel. Cox has designed furniture for Benchmark and Heals. He is a superb craftsman, and all those with whom he worked during The Wish List were impressed by his mastery of technique as well as his dedication to his craft.

For over 25 years the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has been at the forefront of international wood promotion, successfully building a distinctive and creative brand for U.S. hardwoods. AHEC’s global programme of activities secure a future for American hardwoods by demonstrating the performance and aesthetic potential of these sustainable materials, while providing valuable creative inspiration and technical advice.

Benchmark is a leading company of craftspeople and designers, founded 30 years ago by Sir Terence Conran and Sean Sutcliffe. Based in West Berkshire on a converted farm, the team is now 50 strong in over 40,000 sq ft of workshops for timber milling, carpentry, veneering, spraying, specialist metalworking and upholstery, as well as design studio and furniture showroom. Benchmark works extensively on design solutions for hotels, restaurants, public buildings, offices and private residences.

The London Design Festival was conceived by Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans. Building on London's existing design activity, their concept was to create an annual event that would promote the city's creativity, drawing in the country's greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to deliver an unmissable celebration of design. First staged in 2003, the London Design Festival is now one of the world's most important annual design events. The festival programme is made up of over 300 events and exhibitions staged by hundreds of partner organisations across the design spectrum and from around the world.

The London Design Festival works closely with, and receives financial support directly from, the Mayor’s Office – having transferred support from the London Development Agency. The Festival also receives support from Arts Council England, as a National Portfolio Organisation 2012-15.

The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity. The Museum holds many of the UK's national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewellery, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance.

James Latham

Morgan Timber