History

As a boy, Matthew was surrounded by intriguing objects. Matthew's father, Robin is a well-known dealer of medieval carvings and his mother, Pearl Bugg, is an artist known for her primitive animal paintings.

From his mother, Matthew learnt about the delicate balance in nature and how the countryside has changed immeasurably even since her own childhood. His father taught Matthew about the poetry of patina and how natural materials can evolve over time to tell the story of an antique. Even Matthew's brother designs sculptural lighting and furniture.

Matthew's formative years certainly influenced his path in life, but like his father and grandfather before him, he knew his future would be very different to the past Robin and Ralph knew. With the days of 'sleeping treasures' all but gone, 'always out of the ordinary' became Matthew's guiding principle.

London beckoned and Matthew's Lillie Road shop was soon thriving...until 9/11 when his US customer base stopped travelling almost overnight.  

Matthew's taste for substantial pieces meant London would not be viable long term, so he found a draughty warehouse in his hometown, bought himself the best 5 megapixel (!) digital camera that money could buy and lugged his hulking tables and cabinets back up to the town of Stamford.

He's now been based in Stamford for over a decade, living and working from a bustling Georgian square with his sidekick Camilla and dog called Oggy.

The Matthew Cox workshop is on the outskirts of Stamford, looking onto Lincolnshire's famous fields.