Quotes from David Linley

Personally, I find the world of memorabilia fascinating: how people get so focused on one genre, music, or person.

I'm a very methodical cook - it appeals to the logical side of my brain.

I must have made 20 different bicycles in my life; bicycle parts are like works of art in miniature.

Never bring an umbrella to the country - wear a tweed cap.

Since childhood, Claridge's has always been a very special place for me. I associate it with celebrations, happy times.

You can never split yourself from the family you were born into.

In close-nailed furniture, if the nails used are identical they have been manufactured industrially, which implies a date after 1850.

My parents had this extraordinary circle of friends. My father would be photographing somebody every day, someone from the world of the arts, a politician, a musician, a sportsman.

Bedales was perfect for my sister and me. Very open. Very few rules. No uniforms. Co-educational. And very little of 'You have to do this like this.' You very much controlled your education.

My grandmother started my interest in secret doors, trying to find things she lost, and we found an old letter in a great bookcase with a round facade.

I'll never forget the moment in 1985 when I was riding my motorbike down the King's Road and I first saw the words David Linley on the sign on my first shop. I nearly came off my bike. It was so incredibly public; I suddenly realised there was to be no stepping away from my work because my name was all over it.

Controlling the design of an everyday object is very satisfying.

I made an urban-looking bicycle that could stand up to potholes. Of course, it was stolen instantly - proof of the genius of its design.

The school I attended, Bedales, was fortunate to have been built by a leading light from the Arts and Crafts Movement in the 1890s. It contained a beautiful library, made originally of green oak and constructed with the help of the children.

Children love making things, but they don't get the same opportunities now as practical subjects seem to be sidelined. I would love to see schools offering much more in the way of practical subjects to let children see what they can do.

There was a time when craft used to mean anything but the considered, stylish or academic. It was a term of derision. The 'craft fair' on the village green was to be avoided.

I remember my father making many things. Once we made a shed, and a man in the village came along to help. After a couple of glasses of beer, he said, 'Give me a tape measure and I'll make it by eye,' and the result was so beautiful.

London is a series of villages, really. I like that.