Our story

 

We believe details matter, and we know that finding beautiful, well-made hardware with just the right proportions can be tricky. We started Swarf with the aim of producing contemporary, UK-made handles that will last, and that will enhance how people interact with their spaces every day.

Materials and the making process are at the heart of what we do. We're proud to continue traditional manual machining practices and as a celebration of this, our designs are named after British lathe makers from the 19th and 20th centuries.

We are advocates of UK manufacturing and are committed to producing our hardware entirely in Britain. Made in small batches, our pieces are designed and prototyped in-house, testing every design at home to ensure they’re as nice to use as they are to look at. Machining and hand-finishing takes place in our workshop, and where needed, we use local suppliers for other processes. This hands-on making process allows us to be very flexible when it comes to tweaking or adapting our designs.

 

Swarf was founded by Sam Fish and Kate Worthington. With over 15 years of metalwork experience, Sam has made pieces for some of the world’s most influential artists and galleries as Fish Fabrications. Kate has worked for leading interior design titles including Elle Decoration and Livingetc. Our combined eye for design and problem-solving skills led to making handles for our own home using the 1960s Colchester lathe in Sam's workshop. A love for the lathe-turning process quickly followed, and Swarf began.