What does it take to turn a tired country hotel into a destination people genuinely want to return to?

In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson sits down with Chris King, founder of Crafted, to explore the transformation of PowderMills in Battle, East Sussex. Set around a seven acre lake on the site of a former gunpowder mill, Crafted brings together boutique hospitality, bold interior design, British craftsmanship, wellness, food and community.

Chris shares the thinking behind the hotel’s transformation, from trusting bold design decisions and commissioning local craftspeople to creating a lakeside sauna, cold water swimming area, padel courts, pottery workshops and spaces designed for social connection.

They discuss the realities of building a new hospitality brand from scratch, supporting British makers, sourcing food locally, creating memorable guest experiences and making major investment decisions when there is no guarantee they will work.

Chris also explains why Crafted is being built as a social catalyst. With remote work and changing lifestyles leaving many people increasingly isolated, the aim is to create opportunities for guests and members to meet, try new things and build genuine connections.

It is a conversation about hospitality, craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and what happens when every detail of a physical space is considered through the eyes of the person who will actually use it.

Key Topics Covered

✦ Transforming PowderMills into Crafted

✦ Building a distinctive boutique hotel brand

✦ Bold interior design and taking creative risks

✦ Working with British craftspeople and local makers

✦ Reclaimed timber, handmade ceramics and bespoke furniture

✦ Sauna, cold water swimming and padel

✦ Designing hospitality around guest experience

✦ Local food, organic growing and sustainability

✦ Building community through shared experiences

✦ Social connection and social health

✦ Starting a hospitality brand from zero

✦ Reversible and irreversible business decisions

Check out Chris King in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckroaming/

Check out Crafted at PowderMills: https://www.staycrafted.com/

Enjoying the show?

Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.

Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.

Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.

Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg

Key Moments:

00:00 Introducing Chris King and Crafted

07:00 Why PowderMills was the right location

13:10 Bold interiors and trusting the designer

16:53 Bringing local craftsmanship into the hotel

20:00 Creating the lakeside sauna and swim experience

26:30 Can this hospitality model make money?

31:09 British craftsmanship competing on price

38:30 Designing a frictionless guest journey

43:34 Why Chris designs for himself

46:30 Taking risks and testing new ideas

50:37 Why padel is here to stay

58:27 Creating a social catalyst outside London

1:02:34 Why social health matters

1:05:30 Chris King’s advice to his younger self

What separates true bespoke joinery from furniture that has simply been made to measure?

In this solo Q&A episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson answers the questions he receives most often about bespoke joinery, cabinet making, luxury interiors and running a successful joinery business.

Robin explains how every detail is considered in bespoke projects, why traditional craftsmanship still matters alongside CNC technology, how materials are selected for luxury homes and hospitality projects, and what clients should look for when choosing a bespoke furniture maker.

He also shares how Johnson Bespoke has grown from two people to a team of twenty while protecting traditional woodworking skills through apprentice training and craftsmanship.

Key Topics Covered

✦ What bespoke joinery really means

✦ Bespoke joinery compared with made to measure furniture

✦ Traditional woodworking and CNC machining

✦ Luxury cabinet making

✦ Material selection for bespoke furniture

✦ Solid timber, veneers and premium finishes

✦ Luxury residential and hospitality interiors

✦ How to choose materials that last

✦ Pricing bespoke joinery honestly

✦ Managing client expectations

✦ Growing a joinery business

✦ Training apprentices in traditional woodworking

Enjoying the show?

Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.

Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.

Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.

Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:

00:00 What makes joinery truly bespoke

02:57 Traditional skills or modern machinery

06:30 Choosing materials for luxury projects

15:30 What luxury means in bespoke joinery

21:19 Solving complex design challenges

24:43 Honest pricing and client expectations

28:10 Growing a joinery business without losing craftsmanship

29:56 Training apprentices and protecting traditional skills

How does someone leave a career as a patent attorney to become a furniture maker?

In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson sits down with furniture designer and maker Theo Silkstone to explore his unconventional journey from studying Material Science at Oxford to building sculptural furniture inspired by nature.

Theo shares how renovating a cottage during lockdown changed the direction of his life, why a fallen oak tree became the catalyst for a new career and how traditional cabinet making at Rycotewood shaped his approach to craftsmanship.

They discuss furniture design, woodworking, cabinet making, sculptural furniture, creative careers, sustainable timber, material science, AI in furniture design, marketing for makers and the realities of running a creative business.

Key Topics Covered

✦ Theo's journey from Oxford to furniture making

✦ Leaving a career in patent law

✦ How a fallen oak tree changed everything

✦ Learning cabinet making at Rycotewood

✦ Designing sculptural furniture

✦ Functional art and furniture design

✦ Working with oak, ash, metal and Jesmonite

✦ Building bespoke hi fi cabinets

✦ Marketing for furniture makers

✦ Using AI during the design process

✦ Setting up a new workshop

✦ Building a creative community

Enjoying the show?

Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.

Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.

Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.

Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:

00:00 From patent attorney to furniture maker

04:27 Learning cabinet making at Rycotewood

06:03 Designing sculptural furniture

10:21 Why marketing matters for makers

12:00 Working with oak, ash and Jesmonite

15:06 Material science meets woodworking

23:30 Why old furniture is a timber goldmine

31:33 Learning from other crafts

40:56 AI and the future of creative work

54:48 Building a new workshop

56:08 Advice to his younger self