Our Story
Three generations, one workbench, and a habit of making things properly. What began as one craftsman fitting kitchens for local customers is now a family business bringing the world's finest furniture into homes across the UK.
It all began from a workbench
Our story began in 1979, founded by our late grandfather, whose passion for quality craftsmanship and design remains at the heart of the business. He was happiest with woodwork, turning bowls, building tables, and restoring antique pieces, and just as at home fitting kitchens and bathrooms for customers who lived a few streets away. That instinct for how a thing is made has never left us.
The second generation joins
With more hands on the tools, the work widened. We began designing bespoke kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms as well as installing them, still for local customers who mostly came by recommendation. In 1993 our grandfather retired and passed the business on to his son, and the family carried on growing it in the area.
A showroom in Sheffield
Our first showroom opened in Sheffield for kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms, somewhere customers could see and handle the work rather than take our word for it. In 2003 another member of the family joined the business.
35 years of trading
In 2014 we marked 35 years in business, three and a half decades built almost entirely on word of mouth, repeat customers and work we were willing to put our name on.
The third generation, and a new direction
In 2018 the third generation joined our business, bringing years of experience in ecommerce and technology rather than the trade itself. This introduced a fresh set of skills and ideas to a company traditionally built on craft, and highlighted a natural opportunity for us to move into furniture and home decor, a market we were already perfectly placed to understand.
From there, we worked hard to build and launch our first ecommerce website, bringing our business online and opening our collection to customers across the UK. It marked an important new chapter for us, combining decades of family experience with a more modern way of helping people discover and shop for their homes.
Otello's Home was born
In 2021, Otello’s Home was born as a brand in its own right. The website, our family behind it and the products our customers loved all remained the same. Only the name changed, marking the start of a new chapter.
A warehouse of our own
In 2023 we opened our own 4,000 sq ft warehouse and storage facility, so the pieces we sell pass through our hands and our checks before they reach a customer's home.
Still small. Still family owned.
Today we are proud to work with some of the world's most exclusive furniture brands, as well as partnering with suppliers of high quality, modern furniture. We remain a small, family run and owned business, and we're achieving a great deal with a small team through innovation, technology and a genuine passion for our customers' homes.