The knowledge, creativity and know-how of multiple generations enriched Chris and Matthew Cox’s childhoods. Now this legacy infuses and informs their work in furnishing the future for generations yet to come.
Ralph Cox’s original shop in Barton-upon-Humber, 1952.
The Stamford shop of Chris and Matthew’s grandparents, Ralph and Olive, 1971.
Olive arranging jewelry in the shop window.
Busts survey Ralph Cox’s stand at the Chelsea Antiques Fair, 1967.
Growing up in the antiques-rich environment of Stamford, England, brothers Chris and Matthew Cox were deeply influenced by their family's legacy in the trade. Their father, Robin, often brought home unique finds, sparking curiosity and enthusiasm in his sons, while their mother, Pearl Bugg—a creative force in her own right—restored pieces for the family business and later explored her own artistic talents.
Surrounded by a multi-generational family of antique dealers, including a grandfather who literally wrote the book on Victorian tinware, the Cox brothers absorbed a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, history and enduring materials. This upbringing shaped their future paths: Chris as a sculptor and co-founder of Cox London with his artist wife, and Matthew as an antiques dealer with his own furniture workshop. Their journeys, though distinct, remain rooted in a shared passion for timeless artistry and the soulful beauty of well-loved objects.
As artists who can’t remember a time when they weren’t fabricating things, Chris and Nicola fully embrace the moniker of “maker.” Their material of choice is metal—steel for Chris and bronze for Nicola.
Chris fabricated an iron base, inspired by the work of Gilbert Poillerat, for the voluptuously scalloped 19th-century stone basin converted into a sink for the primary bathroom of their north London home.
Ogun chairs surround the Reed dining table (all Cox London creations) which supports artistic endeavors every bit as much as dining.
In their collection, nature is a number one inspiration as evidenced by a drawing by Chris and an etching of a tree by Leonardo da Vinci. All of it is stuff to feed the imagination, natural forms that first find their way onto paper before blossoming into three dimensions from the drawings that Chris and Nicola create.
Through materials as old and weighty as time—bronze, brass, stone, glass—and a deep understanding of patination, they miraculously capture the evanescence of nature in a form that can last forever. Aided by a team of skilled makers in their ever-expanding Tottenham workshop, Chris and Nicola are turning out pieces for the ages.
PEARL BUG
Suffolk-born artist Pearl Bugg, proud mother of Chris and Matthew Cox, is a self-taught artist that gradually came to her painting ability and style through studying, handling and restoring the vast array of decorative painted antiques and primitive carvings that passed through the family antique business over the years. Today, she finds her inspiration in her surroundings, rendering the charming peculiarities of the animals and landscape of the English countryside.
Pearl's studio occupies an old storefront in Stramford.
My King Charles Spaniel by Pearl Bugg
“The day our daughter, Oliva, was born, Pearl came to London to be on hand and whilst we were at the hospital, she calmed her nerves by painting this picture.” — Chris Cox
MATTHEW
Like Chris, Matthew’s upbringing with all things old has led to his 26-year career as an antiques dealer. He attributes his passion and joy to the fact that “provenance or no provenance, every piece has a story to tell.” And often, in his hands, a new life to live. Though not a “maker” per se, Matthew is a first-rate adapter. He sees “stuff sitting around with no obvious use” and gives things a fresh purpose, elevating recycling to upcycling.
Matthew and his wife Camilla are currently working on their largest antique to date—a magnificent 1674 Georgian house in the center of Stamford that Matthew had frequently walked by as a boy and admired for decades. Together they are peeling back layers and returning rooms to their original lean beauty, for their own use and to serve as a showcase for their antiques and furniture collections.
Matthew and Camilla's entry hall in Stamford features multiple pieces made in their workshop just down the road.
Pearl’s rendering of the house hangs above a radiator with a custom cover by Matthew that echoes the splat balusters of the original stairway.
With furniture, Matthew believes it’s hard to improve on classic forms, however his business practices are forward thinking. Becoming fully sustainable is his ultimate goal. That means considering nature with every purchase, passing on skills, creating finishes that only grow more beautiful with time, and not only making furniture to order, but repairing, restoring and reselling it for as long as it, or his company, exists.
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