H & L Epstein Ltd.

In the 1930s, many English homes featured exquisite Art Deco furniture, much of it originating from humble beginnings in London’s East End. In the late 19th century, Jewish cabinet makers emigrated from the Baltic States and the Balkans, forming a cabinet-making community around Shoreditch in London’s East End. Morris Epstein was one such craftsman, and his six sons followed him into the trade.

In 1929, two of the brothers, Harry and Louis, founded H & L Epstein. Together, they produced some of Britain’s finest Art Deco furniture. In the 1930s, their firm of fifteen craftsmen, led by Harry as the designer and Lou as the cabinet-maker, created iconic pieces, such as Cloud suites and boat-based tables. Influenced by customer tastes and Parisian avant-garde designs, they were considered artists, working only with the finest materials.

Much of Epstein’s furniture was made to order. Early on, they sold through East End retailers before opening their own shops in London, Manchester, Dublin, and Glasgow. Pre-war pieces lack a maker’s mark, but their quality and style make them unmistakable Epstein creations.