From the Grid to the Gallery: The Story Behind Retro Steel Co.

I didn't learn to work with steel in an art school. I learned it in the trenches of the British electrical trade.

Starting my working life in the 1980's as an apprentice and working alongside real craftsmen to build my skills that I have today.

For years, my daily "office" was a construction site, and my materials were the heavy-duty components of the industrial world. I spent decades as a career electrician, installing the steel conduit and switchgear that form the invisible backbone of our cities. I grew to respect the honesty of those materials—their weight, their resilience, and the way they felt in my hands.

Retro Steel Co. started when I realised that the "industrial decor" people were buying for their homes was a pale imitation of the real thing. I saw flimsy, painted plastic pretending to be metal, and thin-walled pipes that would bend under the slightest pressure.

I knew I could do better. I knew that with a threading machine, a Sheffield bench, and an electrician’s eye for safety and structure, I could create artefacts that were truly industrial.

Operating out of Sheffield—a city synonymous with steel—I’ve adopted the philosophy of the "Little Mester." Historically, these were self-employed craftsmen who worked in small workshops, specialising in one craft and taking immense pride in every finished piece.

When you buy a lamp from me, you’re supporting that tradition. I am the one who selects the conduit, I am the one who threads the steel, and I am the one who tests every circuit.

My goal isn't to mass-produce. It’s to fabricate. Whether it’s a unique lamp for the office or home, an 11th Anniversary gift or a bespoke commission for an architectural studio, I want every Retro Steel artefact to be the heaviest, most honest thing in the room.