Some collections begin with a sketch. Others begin with a need.
For Susie Atkinson, Laid Bare emerged from years spent designing interiors where the right piece of furniture was often the hardest thing to find. Antiques carried the warmth and character she loved but were frequently too small for modern living. Contemporary alternatives often lacked the honesty of materials or timeless quality she was looking for.
Rather than compromise, she decided to design the pieces herself.
The result was Laid Bare, Studio Atkinson’s founding furniture collection. Designed to sit effortlessly within both traditional and contemporary interiors, each piece reflects a belief that the most enduring furniture is often the most restrained. Nothing is added unnecessarily. Every detail has a purpose. Materials are allowed to speak for themselves.
At the heart of the collection is oak, a material Susie has long been drawn to for its strength, warmth and quiet beauty.
“We wanted to create a collection that felt very natural in appearance,” she explains. “Oak has always been my favourite wood and too often we see finishes applied to it. We wanted the natural grain to show across the collection and speak for itself.”
That philosophy extends throughout Laid Bare. Traditional making methods are celebrated rather than concealed, while honest materials are chosen for the way they age and improve over time. It is furniture designed not for a season, but for decades of everyday life.
The collection’s earliest pieces, the Digby and Dulcie desks, were born from a real project. While designing the bedrooms for Lime Wood Hotel, Susie struggled to source dressing tables that combined practicality with timeless elegance. The solution became an opportunity to create something entirely new.
Designed with understated proportions, the desks incorporate traditional craftsmanship throughout, from dovetail joints and flush leather inlaid tops to antique brass escutcheons and locking keys. Every element was chosen with longevity in mind, allowing the pieces to develop character as they are lived with.
This balance between craftsmanship and simplicity runs throughout the collection.
The Sidney Side Table has become one of Studio Atkinson’s most frequently specified pieces, originally created in response to another common challenge encountered during interior design projects.
“I often think bedside tables are too delicate,” says Susie. “They actually need to be practical. There needs to be room for coffee cups, water glasses, bedside lamps, a drawer for storing everyday items and a shelf for books.”
Its clean architectural lines are softened by carefully considered details, from gently chamfered corners to elegant pencil legs, while the contrast between warm oak and a cool stone top brings texture and balance to a bedroom. It is a piece that quietly earns its place, proving that practicality and beauty need never be at odds.
The Casper Coffee Table has become another studio favourite for much the same reason. Designed at a scale that works comfortably within contemporary homes while retaining the character often associated with antiques, it has become a regular feature within Studio Atkinson interiors.
Although each design has its own distinct personality, they are united by a shared philosophy. Familiar forms are refined rather than reinvented. Traditional craftsmanship is respected while remaining firmly relevant for modern living. Every piece is intended to feel as though it has always belonged.
The collection’s name captures that thinking perfectly.
“We wanted the collection to be about understated beauty and the integrity of materials,” Susie explains. “We wanted to bring attention to the natural materials, traditional making methods and the beauty found in simplicity.”
That philosophy continues to evolve.
The newest addition, the Weaver’s Daybed, builds upon the original Bulrush Daybed while celebrating another often overlooked traditional craft. Inspired by a visit to Studio Atkinson’s upholstery workshop, the design places natural upholstery webbing at its centre, transforming a construction technique that is usually hidden into the defining feature of the piece. The woven surface introduces natural texture while remaining light in appearance, honest in construction and unmistakably part of the Laid Bare family.
More than six years after its original launch, Laid Bare remains an expression of the values that continue to shape Studio Atkinson today. Thoughtful design. Honest materials. Skilled British craftsmanship. Furniture created with purpose, designed to be lived with and intended to become quietly familiar over time.
In an age of constant newness, Laid Bare offers something different. A collection built not around trends, but around the enduring pleasure of living with beautifully considered objects that grow richer with every passing year.
