"I bought my first piece of lacquer whilst travelling in Burma seventeen years ago. A century-old betel box in burnt orange; it remains one of my favorite things. I learned about the lacquer process and began to appreciate the patience, skill and attention to detail that goes into the finest examples.

Over the course of a decade working in events and interior design in New York, I searched for more. I wanted to bring this ancient craft from the East to contemporary designs in the West, creating pieces that are equally at home in a city apartment, beach house or country house. Rita Konig, Flair and Steven Gambrel collaborated on the designs, as I scoured Asia looking for the most highly skilled craftsmen. The search ended in Saigon, where I now spend much of the year producing our lacquer."

The results of these collaborations are available to purchase online and at select stores in the US and UK. Our custom pieces can also be found in homes across the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. James Lowther

Since moving to New York City in 2003, James' approach to design has developed with a clean, modern sensibility whilst retaining English influences from his first job at Colefax & Fowler in London. His interior design projects mix classic and modern elements and have included a variety of apartments, townhouses and beach houses in Manhattan and the Hamptons.

James founded The Lacquer Company in 2008 and divides his time between New York, London and Saigon.