Our Story
A family business with over forty years' experience
Our family business started in 1959 in Charlwood as a house building company owned by our grandfather, Thomas Henry Gorringe. In 1982 our Auntie Anne, and our mother, Jean Murray, used the former builder’s yard to create a kitchen design and installation business called Charlwood Designs.
By 1987, we were also selling homewares and gifts, and our first handmade in-frame painted kitchen was installed. The cabinetry remains in excellent condition to this day, testimony to the quality and longevity of our kitchens.
The story continues
In the 1990s while our Mum continued to work at Charlwood, Toby was drafted-in to join the family business. Toby began drawing artistic impressions of new kitchen designs and stayed for eight years - progressing from the drawing board to a full kitchen designer. In 2001 Toby was approached by a kitchen company in Hove, and for the next 12 years expanded his knowledge and broadened his design skills. In 2013, an opportunity arose to take on the family business in Charlwood alongside our Mum and the following year we became Murray Designs.
Sadly in 2017, our Mum passed away after a brief illness. Her contributions in transforming the business into the success it is today are testament to her hard work, dedication and commitment. Since then, we’ve continued to develop the business by adding more kitchen displays and expanding our eclectic mix of gifts and homewares.
The Reigate showroom
Today, we continue the legacy started by our grandfather over 60 years ago with the opening of our second showroom in Reigate. In true family tradition, our pride in the craftsmanship, care and quality of our work remains unchanged.
