about us

Girl meets boy....

....Judy & Ian met whilst studying textile & furniture design at college. They were soon collaborating on projects where shape, texture & pattern were amalgamated to offer creative and highly innovative design solutions.

Work will tear us apart....

....after winning RSA bursaries and travelling the world, Judy accepted a position in Belgium designing textiles. It was during this period that Judy developed a taste for uber modern design. At this time Antwerp and Brussels were the most happening design centres in Europe and Judy was surrounded by Belgian architects and German designers, who wore asymetric cutting edge clothes, usually made of felt !

By the end of the 'designer decade' in London Ian had thrived as an interior designer. After three years in the capital he fled to persue his first love - furniture design. The next decade was spent learning the traditional skills and techniques of the upholstery trade where he was tutored by fantastic characters in immaculately tailored Saville row suits with lashings of Mulberry accessories and all things quintesentially English!

These disperate environments helped shape Ian and Judy's contrasting - and often conflicting - tastes and design styles.

When Judy tired of the Belgium sense of humour and Ian tired of designing twiddly wooden sofas they decided to meet on neutral ground and thrash out their design differences and start planning a future together.

This is the day....

....a visit to Clifton on a sunny day and the good fortune of finding a beautiful flat brought Judy and Ian to Bristol which led to them forming their design consultancy, Amba Design. Amba was set up to serve the furniture and textile industries around the globe, offering unique creative solutions but now shaped with a greater sense of commerciality.

Two kids for the flavour....

....after ten years of running a successful business and now with two children in tow, a sabbatical was taken to plan for the future. Whilst travelling and being inspired by great design, architecture, landscapes & some extraordinary individuals, the seed of an idea was planted and nurtured for three years.

How much is that sofa in the window....

....a harmonious fusion of Judy & Ian's diverse tastes & styles has been toiled over, and has come to fruition in an exclusive range presented under the Couch brand.

CREATIVE BRITISH DESIGN BUILT TO LAST

There is a shared ethos not only on the nature of the design, but also in the materials we want to use, where we source products from and where we manufacture our products. As an ethical business with a strong environmental conscience, we are manufacturing our sofas and chairs locally and can offer them in a range of British and 'eco' fabrics.

We are constantly looking to further improve our products and will continue to work with our suppliers to intoduce sustainable, recycleable and environmentally friendly materials.