Q&A with Chris Grafham, CEO William Yeoward

William Yeoward is one of our favourite signature brands at Amanda Hanley, so we were delighted to speak with their CEO and creative force, Chris Grafham.

Can you share the story behind William Yeoward and what sets your products apart in the competitive world of interior design?

Our story started 40 years ago last year! It started with a man, William Yeoward, who basically couldn’t find the products he wanted for interior design jobs he was working on. So, he started to design and produce them himself.

It all started with furniture, but here we are 40 years later with collections of upholstery, cabinetry, rugs, fabrics, accessories, lighting, and paint. The key has always been to stick to what we are good at, what the brand is known for and ensure that quality, comfort, and an element of timelessness are always adhered to.

We cannot be, nor do we want to be, everything to everyone. What we design and produce has to have the Yeoward DNA. I think that our focus is what sets us apart. Sadly, we lost William to cancer about 5 years ago. I knew William for over 20 years, but I feel particularly lucky that we were able to work side by side for a couple of years. I promised him that I would protect his legacy and take his brand forward into the future, which is what I am doing. Hopefully he would be proud of where we are today!

Absolutely, he would be so very proud of where you are today! Since he passed, how has William Yeoward evolved in those 5 years in carrying on his legacy?

The core of who we are remains the same. We are a family…but a bigger family now! The business is almost twice the size, which William would certainly have been pleased about as it means we are reaching more customers around the world.

The ranges have expanded, and Concept Upholstery is a new category that we have developed strongly over the past five years. Paint, of course, is also new.

We have also made some serious changes in the background such as moving to a new computer system and a brand-new warehouse. These have been a vital part of our investment in the future of William Yeoward and in ensuring that we are able to offer not just high-quality products, but also the best possible service to our customers.

That all sounds fantastic; these are very exciting times. Thinking now about Collections, can you tell us about some of your latest Collections across your ranges and the inspiration behind them?

I have to say that there is something really exciting about designing products across a variety of categories. We work on the different categories at the same time. There is always a seed of inspiration that starts things off. Then, a mix of lightbulb moments and creative logic fuels the development of ideas.

So, for instance, for Spring/Summer 24, I felt a really strong pull towards greens. For me, greens are shades of natural, particularly when combined with whites and greys. So calming, so smart.

If I think about our new fabric collections, and of course, I love all of them, then I would talk about Medici Flower Sage in the Khotan Collection. I love the idea that ancient motifs like the pomegranate and pine cones, which travelled the silk route back in antiquity and exploded on the European scene during the Renaissance, are just as valid today. Our version feels modern and painterly and pays homage to the past.

Perzina Chalk, also in the Khotan collection – what can I say. This is a real favourite of mine. I have used this design and have introduced new colourways every year for the past three or four years. This year I included Noir and Aubergine…. but just look at the chalk colourway! The perfect white fabric as far as I am concerned!

I love the Malatya Stripe in the Malatya Collection. Again, I particularly love the sage colourway. This design thread led us to design our new Kalika Sage Rug, with its many tufted circles in shades of green, grey, and off-white.

At the same time, we were working on two new consoles – The Morris Buffet and The Tormarton. Both have quite classical influence, with one carved in greyed oak and the other in paler-washed acacia. Both are really versatile.

Again, the detail is so important and if you open the drawers on either you will find our signature hand-cut marquetry polka dots.

I could go on and on but the last design I want to talk about is our Elden lamp. This fabulous ‘face’ lamp comes in three painted colours. It is the perfect example of Yeoward quirkiness. Elden means ‘noble friend’ in old English, and of course, everyone needs a noble friend or two in their home!

The Elden Lamp is so gorgeous, thank you for sharing that. From your perspective, what qualities make for an ideal brand partner in the interior design space, and how does Amanda Hanley by Design embody these qualities?

I tend to think that who we partner with is almost a matter of natural selection. Working at the top end of our industry requires a real understanding of what goes into really good design, what the best materials are and what skills, often very artisanal, are employed in making a specific product.

The partners we work with have this knowledge and appreciation and are able to pass this on to their customers. Not only do our partners need to know all this but then they have to be able to creatively translate all this into schemes and interiors that are bespoke to each client.

These are vital skills and qualities, and Amanda Hanley and her team embody all of these in spades!

Thank you; that's very kind. What are the core values and design philosophies that drive William Yeoward, and how do you see these aligning with Amanda Hanley’s design principles?

Quality, Comfort, Workmanship and Detail. Amanda Hanley and her team certainly appreciate workmanship and detail. More importantly, nothing but the very best quality and the highest level of comfort will be acceptable to Amanda and team!

We often recommend William Yeoward for its unparalleled quality and design. What upcoming trends in interior design do you think will be most influential for our respective clientele, and how will your collections fit into those trends?

It is always tricky to gauge future trends. Of course, I look and watch what is going on around the world, but at the end of the day it is only an opinion.

I think that maximalism is both limited and exaggerated. Equally, I think people are bored of minimalism. The world is a messy place at the moment, and our homes and gardens have become so much more important as havens of peace, but also spaces that inspire our moods on a daily basis.

I think the next year or two will show us a more decorative trend. We will be using more colour and we will be creating spaces in a way that are less ‘safe’ but all the more interesting for it.

When it comes to colour, which we love at William Yeoward, I find myself using greens with greys and aubergine with grey as a more ‘neutral palette’….and of course accents of white! These to me would be ‘safer’ groups.

For the more daring, we can move into spice colours or blues and ocean tones. I hope that our customers feel and can see that with William Yeoward they are able to satisfy the needs of a very broad number of tastes and styles.

I also think we will see people wanting to change things up more regularly. Think about it—we do not wear the same clothes for days or weeks on end. So why not make changes more regularly by adding some new cushions to a sofa or an interesting lamp to a room, for example?

At the other end of the spectrum, I think that post-pandemic, the immediate gratification of a holiday or meal out will become more balanced, and we will start to see people wanting to invest in quality pieces for their homes, be it a sideboard, a beautiful rug, or a new sofa. It is coming back!

And lastly, are there any new Collections or innovations you’re particularly excited about that you think would align well with our design philosophy?

We are working on a LOT of exciting new things for Spring/Summer 25 and will be shooting these in October.

For Autumn/Winter 24, I am particularly excited about a new programme we are working on that will allow customers to bespoke their Elden, Piastrella and Millana lamps in any of our 114 fabulous shades of Paint!

We are still working on this...so watch this space!

Thank you so much for taking part in our Q&A. We love all your products, and especially your rugs. My all-time personal favourite is the exquisite Mariah Indigo rug, and I absolutely love the Draxon and the Shanti Cloud.

William Yeoward is a total delight to work with. They are a charming and skilled team. The quality of the products is superb, and the designs are inspirational. We are delighted to work with you in partnership; it’s a real pleasure.

Amanda