Our Story
Furniture defined by clarity of purpose, balanced proportion and the honesty of its making.
Following an early chapter designing furniture for Ercol, Heal’s, Selfridges, Conran and Herman Miller, Sean Dare founded Dare in 2009.
The debut Katakana collection — first presented in Milan and later at ICFF New York — signalled the studio’s enduring direction:
a restrained and assured approach rooted in material integrity, precise construction and a measured sense of proportion.
We are a family-run company, who believe furniture should be useful, beautiful, well-made and enduring.
Each piece is developed with careful attention to scale, balance and function, designed to be lived with comfortably and to remain relevant over time.
Our work is shaped by process. Through careful design, prototyping and refinement, each piece is resolved with clarity, where form, construction and material feel settled and assured.
Quality underpins every stage of our work, from the selection of materials and skilled craftsmanship to the precision of the finished piece.
Longevity, responsible sourcing and material stewardship inform the way we work. We have proudly achieved the FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certification status; (NC-COC-026801-AA) ensuring our certified timbers are traceable to source.
We collaborate with skilled craftspeople across the UK and Europe whose knowledge and experience support the integrity of each design.
Materials are chosen for their strength, character and responsible provenance, and are handled in ways that allow their natural qualities to remain evident. Timber, upholstery and finishes are selected for how they wear, gaining depth and richness through use.
Alongside our core collection, many designs can be adapted in size or finish, and we welcome bespoke commissions where a project calls for a considered response.
Our aim is to produce furniture that is purposeful, quietly confident and made to last — pieces shaped by careful thought and skilled making, intended to serve well for many years.
We continue to expand the reach of our collection through direct relationships with private clients, architects and design professionals internationally.
We sell both directly to the public and through selected trade partnerships worldwide, we are able to maintain a close connection to how our furniture is specified, purchased and lived with.
Designers
Sean Dare
Sean graduated with an honours degree in Furniture Design and Business at Bournemouth University in 1997. He subsequently went on to study Business Management at Exeter University in 1999.
Drawing inspiration from heritage and architectural traditions, his work reflects a sensitivity to proportion, structure, and the relationship between object and space. Influences from Scandinavian and Japanese design further shape this approach, bringing a focus on simplicity, craftsmanship, and the quiet beauty of natural materials. Through an iterative process of testing, refining, and reinterpreting these references, each piece seeks a balance between function and expression, where subtle details, honest construction, and thoughtful material choices communicate a considered, enduring aesthetic.
Sean has been awarded two Design Guildmark's for the Spline chair in 2012 and the Waldron dining table in 2017.
David Irwin
David is an Industrial designer driven by a curiosity for how and why things are made. David's focus is rooted in material exploration and driven by a desire to assign purpose to both traditional and contemporary manufacturing processes. The goal with all of Irwin’s work is to combine a strong concept with fundamental usefulness.
Born in N.Ireland in 1986, David graduated in Three Dimensional Design at Northumbria University in 2007. He completed a fellowship on the Designers in Residence initiative at Northumbria’s School of Design in 2010 and subsequently went on to establish his own Industrial design Studio in 2011.
David was awarded the Design Guildmark for the Tor chair in 2015.
Namon Gaston
Namon designs and produces furniture for private clientele from his Edinburgh based studio. Alongside this he collaborates with industry brands designing furniture for volume production. His work has been recognised by the furniture industry, with several Design Guild Marks and Wood Awards.
Namon graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2001 with a first class honours degree in Furniture Design. Building on this experience, Namon continued his development as an apprentice cabinetmaker in rural Scotland, honouring the traditional craftsmanship to which he is rooted.
“To me the chair has been a template for some of the most iconic designs of the 20th Century and continues to be a source of inspiration. It is an object that identifies with the times, the environment and the user.”
Namon was awarded the Design Guildmark for the Oxbow chair in 2019.
James Melia
James studied Maths and Physics at Loughborough University before gaining a First Class Honours Degree in Furniture and Product Design at Nottingham Trent University in 2010.
James began his career as a creative director, managing design teams at international agencies for clients that span a number of sectors. These clients included some of the leading brands in electronics, telecoms and technology (Microsoft, Panasonic, Philips, LG, Samsung, Technics, Sony, Epson, TomTom, Mitsubishi, Fujitsu and Nokia) in aviation (Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic, B/E Aerospace) and many other sectors (including the likes of Technogym, Bosch, Dulux, Hasbro).
This varied portfolio won James a number of industry awards including Lighting Designer of the Year, a Red Dot Award, an IF Award, a Good Design Award, a European Product Design Award and was nominated for an Elle Decoration Product of the Year award.
James founded and leads the Industrial design studio; Blond.
Awards and Accolades
Our commitment to design has been rewarded with a number of accolades including four Design Guild Mark awards.
The prestigious Design Guild Mark is awarded by The Furniture Makers’ Company in order to recognise the highest standards in the design and production of furniture in Britain.
2024 - Product of the year - Finalist - MIX Awards - Clyde
2019 - Design Guild Mark Award - Oxbow
2017 - Design Guild Mark Award - Waldron
2015 - Design Guild Mark Award - Tor
2012 - Design Guild Mark Award - Spline
2009 - Product of the year - Winner - Hidden Art Awards - Katakana
Featured in
Showroom
Our showroom is open by appointment.
A selection of pieces from the collection is on display; if there is a particular design you would like to see, we recommend checking availability when arranging your visit.
The showroom is located a short walk from the seafront, close to a number of parks, cafés and restaurants.
Parking is available on site.
info@darestudio.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 607192
The Old Coachworks, 41 Park Road
Worthing, West Sussex , BN11 2AS
