Commercial Projects

Since 2016 the Charlie Borrow brand has worked closely with designers, architects and hospitality professionals to create one off bespoke items, batch production of furniture, aprons and leather products. We work on all sizes of commercial projects helping designers bring their ideas to life through a breadth of services, including assisting with the research and development of products, designing, sampling and production. With a wealth of knowledge in the leather industry and working closely with tanneries and fabric mills across the UK and Europe we can advise on the most sustainable, natural and long lasting material to use for a product. We source both new and reclaimed materials to achieve the desired design aesthetic with a material forward approach ensuring a minimal and timeless design.

We offer production from our Shoreditch base and work closely with partners to make at scale, managing the project from start to finish to ensure the quality meets the high standard offered across the brand.

Listed below are a selection of the projects we’ve worked on:

Smokestak - Shoreditch

Source, Supply and Make -

Box9

We met the Smokestak team a year before opening their first restaurant. We were first commissioned to design and make a variety of staff uniform aprons for the chefs, bar staff and front of house staff. Upon completion we came onto the interiors side to source and supply leather for the antique bridge chairs in the main dining room. We sourced and made a variety of banquette seat cushion pads from reclaimed military cloth and added a variety of leather accents and details to sit within this distressed workshop inspired restaurant. Phase two five years down the line we came back to help design, make and install bespoke chairs and banquette seating for the new basement layout. Using and sourcing a variety reclaimed canvases and distressed leather to maintain the old workshop appearance and give the space an already lived in feel. We offer the client an aftercare service by making any necessary repairs to existing work from aprons to seating. Nearly a decade on we still proudly work closely with Smokestak and assist with any additions needed for the restaurant.

St John - Marylebone

Source, Supply & Make -

Reddeer

For the Marylebone edition of the iconic St John restaurant group, we sourced a beautiful brushed full grain upholstery hides for the bench seating throughout the restaurant. It was essential to find a suitable leather that would age gracefully and that had a natural finish that would blend with the surrounding materials. We upholstered the benches on site just before the launch working to a tight schedule and helping to keep the project on time.

Parsons - Covent Garden

Source, Supply and Make

Reddeer

This modern take on a traditional pie and mash shop was one of the smaller scale projects we’ve worked on. Sourcing a British racing green upholstery leather from one of Italys finest tanneries to ensure the restaurant stayed true to its roots and kept a traditional appearance. We made and installed all the leather upholstery for the restaurant from the banquette seating to the seat pads on the classic bentwood chairs.

Brat - Shoreditch

Source, Supply and Make

Dan Preston

We were approached by the client to source a suitable leather to fit the minimal aesthetic of the project. A converted pub with heaps of traditional character we settled on modernising the leather upholstery to a brushed nubuck in a deep dark graphite grey. The leather has heaps of character adding to the already beautiful interior, once the leather was chosen we made banquette seating and the stool top seat pads to be installed by the main contractor.

Smoking Goat - Shoreditch

Source & Supply

Dan Preston

After working on the upstairs counter part we were asked by the client to source some similar leather for various upholstery and wall hangings for the interior of this project. Tonally the space wanted darker brown leather to sit along side the deep green walls and mid brown wood furniture.

Magpie - Mayfair

Source, Supply, Make & Design Consult

Reddeer

This large and bright space just off regent street was the third project we ever worked on. Working closely with the client to achieve a clean juxtaposition between the old and new of the building, we sourced a soft nubuck upholstery hide in graphite grey for all the upholstery. We assisted with designing and made bespoke modern bar stool seating with soft clean lines and no visible stitching for a seamless appearance. We continued this approach with the banquette booth seating we made and installed down the opposing side of the restaurant to achieve a sharp modern finish.

Flat Iron - Marylebone

Source & Supply

Reddeer

One of London’s great steak restaurants was opening in Marylebone and wanted a more sustainable approach for their leather upholstery. We worked directly with a Scandinavian tannery to supply fully natural vegetable tanned leather. It was essential the leather had traceability and provenance, made using hides exclusively from meat industry waste. The raw natural unfinished leather isn’t usually used in a commercial setting like this due to being easily stained. But the client agreed selecting something natural that will patina like a beautiful old bag or pair of shoes would be a great addition to the finish of the restaurant.

Paradise - Soho

Source & Supply

Dan Preston

Recreating the aesthetic from a previous project we sourced and supplied tonal nubuck leather for the upholstery of this central london Resturant.

Oma - London Bridge

Source & Supply

Box9

With a push for organic materials we sourced this super heavy weight 100% organic cotton canvas for the interior seating of the newly awarded Michelin star Oma in London Bridge.

Cycene - Shoreditch

Source, Supply, Design & Make

We worked closely with the Blue Mountain School Team to design and make their chefs aprons for the newly awarded Michelin star restaurant Cycene. We sourced British manufactured organic cotton cloth and supplied & made leather menu covers and receipt holders from English oak bark tanned leather. In phase two we helped to redesign the aprons and sourced a new cloth for the newer aesthetic for the staff.

The Knave of clubs - Shoreditch

Source, Supply, Make

We were approach by the team at the knave of clubs to assist with the sourcing of their upholstery leather. We made and installed box seat cushions for pew seating and supplied the main contractor with leather for other seating elements. Upon the arrival of the seating, we redressed the leather using a hand burnishing and staining technique to aid the aged appearance of the bench seats and giving them a lived in feel.