What SmithMatthias Ltd. does

SmithMatthias Ltd. is a multi-disciplinary product design studio founded in 2011 by Jack Smith and Gemma Matthias, operating from a single studio in a former hat factory in Liverpool's Fabric District, United Kingdom. The studio designs furniture, lighting, drinkware, accessories, and wayfinding systems for both consumer and contract applications, serving an international B2B client base that includes furniture manufacturers (Hay, Modus, Allermuir, Deadgood, Discipline), beverage companies (Camden Town Brewery), architecture firms (SHH Architects), and hospitality venues (Ascot Racecourse). Notable projects include the Spring Table co-designed with Sir Kenneth Grange, the Jack Glass drinkware, the Frame Projector Lighting system (over 200 custom fittings for a residential project), and the Ascot Racecourse wayfinding system delivered with SHH Architects.

The studio operates a dual revenue model: commissioned product design services billed to B2B clients, and product sales distributed through manufacturing partners (OEM/white-label relationships with Modus, Deadgood, Allermuir, Hay, and Discipline giving global reach) plus select retail stockists such as Twenty Twenty One and direct e-commerce via client storefronts. The studio employs 1–10 people and applies an exploratory, reductive design approach emphasising sustainable materials, craftsmanship, and full-lifecycle environmental considerations. Marketing is portfolio-driven via smithmatthias.com and Instagram (@smith.matthias), with direct email/phone contact for client inquiries; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The company is founder-owned with no external investment, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds. Operating indicators include active 2025 product launches (Curve Dining, Obi, Bruton Foam Free) and a separate venture branded 'in hand' (in-hand.co.uk), suggesting ongoing creative activity. Revenue, headcount trend, and financial metrics are not disclosed, limiting quantitative assessment of scale and momentum.

Name

SmithMatthias Ltd.

Legal name

SmithMatthias Ltd.

Website

https://smithmatthias.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Product Design Services: Commissioned design projects for clients including furniture manufacturers, breweries, and hospitality businesses. Projects include wayfinding systems, furniture design, and custom product development.
2. Product Sales: Sale of designed products through retail stockists and direct sales. Products include Flat Pack Bird House (sold through Twenty Twenty One), Jack Glass (sold through Camden Town Brewery shop), and other furniture pieces through manufacturer partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SmithMatthias is a multi-disciplinary product design studio that conceives, designs, and develops furniture, lighting, accessories, drinkware, and wayfinding systems for clients. The studio works on commission for manufacturers, breweries, architecture firms, and hospitality brands, and its finished designs are brought to market through manufacturing partners and select retail stockists.

Product overview

SmithMatthias is an award-winning design studio that creates a diverse portfolio of furniture, lighting, accessories, and wayfinding solutions. The studio's offerings include dining and lounge furniture collections (Curve Dining, Curve Lounge, March Chair, April Sofa System, Ooty, Tarn HM48, Obi), tables (Spring Table, Marra Table), bar products (Garden Bar, Tap Handles, Jack Glass), lighting solutions (Noc Light, Companion Lamp, Frame Projector Lighting), accessories (Tilt Ladder, Kortime Clock, Flat Pack Bird House), and wayfinding systems (Ascot Wayfinding). The studio applies an exploratory and reductive approach to design, focusing on sustainability through material choices, production methods, and designed lifecycles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Curve Dining A dining furniture piece from SmithMatthias's furniture collection, designed for manufacture by partner brands.
• Obi A furniture product from SmithMatthias's portfolio, designed and developed for partner manufacturers.
• Bruton, Foam Free A foam-free furniture product emphasising SmithMatthias's sustainable design principles.
• Curve Lounge A lounge furniture piece featuring curved design elements from the SmithMatthias portfolio.
• Ooty A furniture product from the SmithMatthias portfolio, designed in partnership with Allermuir.
• Tarn HM48 A furniture piece from the SmithMatthias collection.
• March Lite A lightweight variant of the March furniture collection designed by SmithMatthias.
• Lap Stool A stacking timber stool produced in solid European Oak for Deadgood, featuring a simple lap joint for structural strength, a bent metal footrest, and shaped seat for comfort, available in counter or bench height.
• Frame Projector Lighting Custom-designed light fittings inspired by theatre lighting, capable of shaping and adjusting light to reflect the size and shape of artwork, housed in custom plaster-in units, designed with SHH Architects for a residential project of over 200 fittings.
• Jack Glass A pint glass with lower, wider proportions than traditional straight-sided pint glasses, designed by SmithMatthias for Camden Town Brewery and named the most stolen pub item in 2021.
• Marra Table Occasional tables designed for Deadgood for efficient manufacturing, easy assembly, and simple reconfiguration into bespoke sizes, crafted from sheet material using visible notches inspired by Japanese joinery.
• Noc Light A lighting product from the SmithMatthias portfolio.
• Spring Table A table collaboration with Sir Kenneth Grange for Modus, characterised by clarity of form and honest simplicity, crafted from sustainably sourced timber with aluminium brackets and powder coat finish free from volatile organic compounds.
• Garden Bar An outdoor bar furniture piece from the SmithMatthias portfolio.
• Tilt Ladder A beautifully detailed oak ladder and accessories for displaying, storing, and hanging objects, designed for Discipline.
• Ascot Wayfinding A wayfinding system created for Ascot Racecourse in collaboration with SHH Architecture, composed of terracotta, cream and brass elements that assimilate with the architecture and branding of Ascot and Royal Ascot.
• Kortime Clock A clock product from the SmithMatthias portfolio.
• March Chair A chair from the March furniture collection designed by SmithMatthias.
• April Sofa System A sofa system from SmithMatthias's furniture collection.
• Companion Lamp A lamp product from the SmithMatthias portfolio.
• Flat Pack Bird House A flat pack bird house consisting of two laser-cut 1.5mm plywood parts, designed with a 28mm hole diameter to welcome Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Tree Sparrows and Pied Flycatchers without a perch, sold via retail stockist Twenty Twenty One.
• Tap Handles Custom-designed tap handles for Camden Town Brewery, developed through prototyping and manufacturer collaboration to assimilate with the brewery's bold and colourful brand.

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Camden Town BrewerycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Craft brewery for which SmithMatthias designed the Jack Glass (named most stolen pub item in 2021) and tap handles. Products sold through Camden Town Brewery's retail channels.
• DeadgoodcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017UK furniture brand for which SmithMatthias designed the Marra Table range and Lap Stool. Products designed for efficient manufacturing and easy assembly.
• DisciplineminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013European furniture company for which SmithMatthias designed the Tilt Ladder collection.
• HaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational furniture manufacturer that has sought out SmithMatthias for design projects. Hay is a leading Danish furniture brand known for contemporary design.
• ModuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK contemporary furniture manufacturer. SmithMatthias collaborated on the Spring Table with Sir Kenneth Grange.
• AllermuircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFurniture manufacturer partner for products like the Ooty chair.
• SHH ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaborated with SmithMatthias on Frame Projector Lighting (200+ light fittings) and Ascot Racecourse wayfinding system.
• Twenty Twenty OneminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail stockist for the Flat Pack Bird House consumer product.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Tom Dixon: UK design firm with own-brand furniture, lighting, and accessories at significantly larger scale. Operates in the same furniture/lighting design space but combines in-house brand with licensing, giving it broader commercial reach than a pure design studio.
• Established & Sons: UK design brand commissioning work from leading designers for furniture and lighting collections. Functions as both a competitor for design attention and a possible downstream channel for studios of SmithMatthias's profile.
• Jasper Morrison: Established UK designer with deep manufacturer partnerships across furniture, lighting, and consumer products. Comparable in design philosophy and client base but at materially larger scale and broader portfolio.

Regional players

• Hella Jongerius: Dutch designer with strong manufacturer partnerships across furniture, textiles, and colour/material research. Operates in the same furniture/design space but is geographically anchored to the Netherlands and serves different regional clients.

Direct peers

• Raw Edges: Design studio producing furniture and objects for international manufacturers. Comparable in commissioned product-design model, small team size, and material-craft emphasis.
• Industrial Facility: London-based product design studio designing furniture, lighting, and consumer products for international manufacturers. Closely comparable in service offering, scale, and B2B commissioning model.
• Barber Osgerby: London-based product and furniture design studio of comparable scale working with similar premium manufacturer clients. Highly comparable in business model (commissioned industrial design) and cross-category furniture/lighting output.
• Pearson Lloyd: UK design consultancy working across furniture, product, and wayfinding for major manufacturers and institutions. Comparable in multi-disciplinary scope and B2B project-based delivery.
• Michael Anastassiades: London-based designer producing lighting and small furniture in collaboration with premium manufacturers (Flos, Cassina). Directly comparable as a small studio with manufacturer-led distribution and emphasis on reductive, material-focused design.
• Sebastian Bergne: London-based product and furniture designer working with international brands. Comparable as an independent studio of similar size collaborating with manufacturer clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/smith.matthias/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smithmatthiasltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SmithMatthias Ltd.