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About Us
Roots & Inspiration
The story of Timothy Oulton started back in 1976 with an antiques shop owned by Tim's father. As it turned out, Tim had inherited his father's eye for beauty and detail. His innate ability to see artistic value and the essence of perfection in a product's design became the starting point for everything new. Today, that legacy of creativity continues with Tim's son Oli.
"We're not purely a design company per se, it's more than that, it's about the craftsmanship, the materials, the story." Tim Oulton
1976
Major Oulton opens Halo Antiques
With an intention to provide a good education for his sons Tim and Charlie, Major Philip Oulton opens Halo Antiques in the village of Hale near Manchester.
1970s
The benedictine Philosophy
Tim attends Ampleforth College, an ancient Benedictine Boarding School in Yorkshire with great halls filled with old English furniture. The Benedictine philosophy of personal contribution and community impacts deeply on Tim.
Late 70s
Eddie 'Salvage hands'
Major Oulton hires Eddie Salvage hands, Halo's first employee, who is still with the company today. Eddie was a tree surgeon and grandfather clock craftsman, and is an expert in all things wooden.
1984
The summer job that turned into a lifelong love...
Tim leaves school at 18, and forgetting to submit the papers to secure a university place and a career in the City, he takes a summer job with his dad, reporting to Eddie Salvage hands. Tim becomes captivated by the world of antiques.
1990
A VISION TO REINVENT
Six years later, with a love of antiques under his skin and an apparent eye for design, Tim takes the helm at Halo. Realising the limits of antiques as a business, he starts making reclaimed timber and leather furniture. Ideas are borrowed from the past, but reinvented with a daring modern energy.
2008
An obsession with vintage leather
Tim invents Vintage Cigar, a truly authentic leather finish, which takes the design community by storm. Tim meets Argentinian leather master Diego Diaz and the pair collaborate on ground breaking new finishes. Buck'dN Brok'n and Jack'dN Brok'n are later born.
2008
Our first gallery opens in Los Angeles
The Timothy Oulton retail brand launches with its first gallery in Los Angeles. More galleries open across the USA, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific. Timothy Oulton opens in Harrods, and wins the coveted Harrods Storewide Service Excellence Award.
2012
Boarding school welcomes its first pupils
The secret to Timothy Oulton's unique customer experience is our Boarding School, attended by all staff and partners. An all-immersive, world-class training programme where attendees meet the designers and craftsmen, and graduate as a brand expert.
2014
Timothy Oulton Studio Launches
Tim co-founds TO Studio with Simon Laws, a turnkey bespoke design practice dedicated to the creation of incredible environments. Projects include 1880 Members Club in Singapore and the Apollo, a replica of the NASA lunar module rendered as an intimate lounge.
2018
Bluebird opens & wins prestigious award
Our global flagship opens in Chelsea in the historic Bluebird building. The following year it wins a prestigious Luxury Briefing Award with judges hailing it "an astonishing experience full of stories" with an "outrageously original approach to retail".
