Francis Russell founded FRD in the mid-1980s as a maker for the design trade. Early commissions were in tôleware, the hand-painted tinplate of the 18th century, including John Fowler designs for Colefax and Fowler and reproductions of lighting from England’s stately homes. The work soon grew into furniture, lighting and architectural metalwork for clients around the world.

Today we work from a purpose-built workshop on the Shaftesbury Estate in rural Dorset, home to one of the most comprehensive ranges of metalworking skills, alongside an experienced design and project management team. Here, knowledge passes by hand from one generation of makers to the next.

Under new ownership, our purpose is unchanged: to help designers, architects and artists realise what they imagine.