Hand Built Designs

As an architect I have collaborated with Mark on a number of kitchen designs and found him exceptional to work with. His attention to detail and workmanship are second to none. He is extremely patient and a good communicator. He listened to my ideas and, with his knowledge and skill, was able to suggest improvements to the layout, finish and design. The end products are unique, tailor-made kitchens far beyond the clients’ and my own expectations that will withstand the test of time.

“ We went through the usual rigours and stress of renovation and we have our own few horror stories to tell!...However, when it came to the kitchen, we were able to hand it over to Mark with confidence as his reputation for quality work went ahead of him. We now have a kitchen that is so well crafted and designed, I believe it will be as good in twenty years as it is today. After a few consultations Mark seemed to understand what we wanted, he brought his experience, knowledge and professionalism to the project while still allowing us to express our expectations and ideas. Because of Mark’s talent and attention to detail, we managed to achieve a kitchen that marries the old 1930’s house very well with a new modern extension. We are very happy with our kitchen and most importantly, it meets all our needs. Thanks Mark.

“Our kitchen was always going to be the heart of our home because as a family, that’s where we connect right throughout the day. From the beginning Mark understood this concept and designed an open plan kitchen that works as the centre-point of our house while seamlessly integrating with all other areas of the house. He did this through his creative use of colour, natural materials, line and fine detail down to the door knobs he chose.... But most importantly, our kitchen works for us because Mark was there at every stage of production; from design stage where he listened to our requests even to how I'd prefer to pull out a drawer as opposed to bending down to access my delph. of a press, to where he manually cut and oiled our cherry counters. At every stage we felt that Mark was open to our ideas and could creatively interpret them into the kitchen design. All in all, it was a pleasure working with Mark in our home and we now have a beautiful solid wood kitchen that keeps getting better with every good meal we cook!”

In August 2005 we were re-modeling our kitchen, opening it into an existing sun-room and creating a more open dining area. After many visits to kitchen showrooms, we contacted Mark Hand. After Mark's first visit to our kitchen, we knew our quest was over! We were impressed by Mark's empathy to our needs, his meticulous approach, practical suggestions and solid common sense. Two or three consultations later, we had a final plan for our kitchen which would be finished on time and within budget . We had chosen solid painted cabinets with cherry trim and an island, all with granite worktops and a made-to-measure dining table. Our old kitchen was dismantled in November 2005 and Christmas Day saw us in our new ‘Hand Built’ kitchen with all appliances sourced and fitted to perfection by Mark Hand . Twelve years later, our kitchen is "as good as new”. Mark’s clever creation and his management of available space have made our kitchen a place where we can move freely, work efficiently and relax in aesthetically pleasing surroundings. Wishing him lots of success in the future.

We found Mark Hand in the Yellow Pages around 2007, after weeks of despair seeing really bad quality furniture with very high prices in shops in both Galway and elsewhere. Since then we have relied on him to do several pieces of furniture for us, notably a kitchen table with marble top, two kitchen side boards (one with a marble top), a sink unit, a pantry cupboard and then a large dresser unit with glass doors. Mark has also done shelves for us and a tidy bathroom wall mounted shelf unit. All of this work has been of outstanding quality and craftsmanship as well as very competitively priced. We would have no hesitation in recommending Mark to anybody seeking well designed, solid furniture that works. His attention to detail and precision is outstanding. We found him very easy to work with in terms of getting across what it is we wanted, and he was a mine of information and sound advice on many related issues we encountered when getting our house in some sort of order. We will unquestionably get him back to do more work.

"We built our house in 2005 and Hand Built Designs fitted our kitchen. Our house is timber frame and I felt very strongly that a wooden house deserves a real wooden kitchen. For me the kitchen is the centre of life in the home and I wanted something that would be of high quality, of simple design that wouldn’t date and be a beautiful part of our house. I searched around different kitchen companies until I found Mark. After our first meeting I knew I wanted Mark to design and build our kitchen. He is a craftsman of the highest standards, and really loves what he does. He had such enthusiasm and ideas and the samples of wood he showed me were beautiful. He came out to measure the space and went away to design the kitchen. A few tweaks and we had something I couldn’t wait to get cooking in! As Mark worked on building the kitchen I realised that I was actually watching a work of art in the making. He has such attention to detail, and each part of it was finished to perfection. Our work surface is oiled cherry and the frame is oak. The shelves are solid pine. The work surface felt like it was a living, breathing thing as it soaked up each layer of linseed oil. Twelve years on and I still love my kitchen. I still run my hands over the surface and take pleasure in oiling it. It is simple and functional, yet beautiful in a quiet, unassuming way. All the spaces and the shelves work well and there is plenty of space despite our family expanding by three in the years that have passed. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. It remains, and always will be the heart of our home.”

When we decided to change our kitchen there was only one person for the job having seen a Mark Hand masterpiece in a friend’s house. At every stage, from initial consultation to the finished piece, we found Mark to be fantastic to deal with. We knew what we wanted and with Mark’s expertise we got just that. Our kitchen is fabulous. Mark’s workmanship is superb; his attention to detail is incredible. The finish is of an extremely high standard. I like to describe our kitchen as a work of art and watching Mark at work is like watching an artist complete his masterpiece. Mark made us an island as part of our kitchen and it can only be described as an amazing piece of furniture that exceeded all our expectations of what it would be like. Our kitchen is a cherry shaker kitchen with a corner larder maximising usage of all available space in the room. Mark is fantastic at balancing the lines and form so that the finished piece is aesthetically pleasing. Mark is an exceptional artist and craftsman. We highly recommend Mark Hand and we will unquestionably have him back to do more work in our home.”

10 years on, our Hand Built Designs kitchen still gives us as much pleasure as when it was first installed. The best thing about it is that it remains both aesthetically appealing AND absolutely functional. Mark Hand has a unique knack of marrying style with everyday functionality and at no time since we started using our kitchen did we think ‘I wish we had thought of incorporating this or that’. Mark Hand had thought of it all! We heartily recommend Hand Built Designs.”

We initially engaged Mark to build our kitchen but as soon as he started it was evident that we’d want him to do much more. In the end, as well as the kitchen, he built our wardrobes, bookshelves, bath form, a bespoke door into a study and a beautiful oak dining table and bench – and the work continues. Mark is a true professional who listened to us and delivered something far beyond our expectations. With a modest budget, we now have a beautiful bespoke kitchen which we can scarcely believe is ours. His workmanship, his artistry, his attention to detail are all exemplary. Everything he did, he did with the utmost care and precision. He sources the best materials and treats them, and everything, with great respect. His knowledge and understanding of materials and processes – and the science behind things – is extensive. It’s also very evident that he enjoys his work immensely and it shows in the end product. Because he is, first and foremost, an artist, Mark generously shared his knowledge, design ideas and skills with us in areas far beyond his remit. He found creative solutions to problems we encountered around the house and we instinctively sought and trusted his advice completely. This generosity of his, along with his refined aesthetic sensibility, was invaluable to us, and very much appreciated. Our home is more beautiful because of it. We feel very lucky to have found Mark. He was a pleasure to work with – scrupulously honest and transparent. If we’d known him at the start of our renovation we’d have hired him as our consultant - architect-cum-designer – to do everything! But we’re incredibly grateful that his is the final mark left on our home.

Mark Hand is a true professional; we were 3 years talking about our proposed kitchen extension and Mark was the stalwart through quite a number of redesigns. His patience was extraordinary; rather than making you feel bad for constantly changing your mind, he understood the importance of taking the time to get it right. Mark will give you a clear opinion and he has very good understanding of space and proportion. The final product..the kitchen... Is just lovely...Made with care and attention and with a robustness that will see us in good stead for many years. Next project.a kitchen table. Mark is the kind of guy you will keep going back to