At home with... David Linley

Furniture maker David Linley has led the luxury game for over two decades with his exquisitely crafted designs - coveted by the likes of Elton John and Nina Campbell - and now you can find them on mydeco. Here, the nephew of the Queen talks exclusively to mydeco about forging his career, being a perfectionist and 'road-testing' his furniture.

I made my first piece of furniture... when I was just 13. It was a desk - I still sit at it to this day.

I love to design with wood... because people respond to its warmth. It's alive and has longevity and soul, unlike cold stone. People love the smell and feel of it - we have a sign in the shop saying: 'Please touch wood.' This ability to relate to a piece of design is important.

Linley is about... luxury furniture and accessories for the modern home. We source the finest materials and translate this into beautiful design.

I love to be able... to translate people's dreams into reality. That's why bespoke design is so important to me. We give people the chance to find things they wouldn't naturally come across without our inquisitive minds.

Linley designs are road-tested... by my children. Our best-selling sofa passed the bounce test.

I live in... a small flat in London. It serves as a good reminder that our designs must be practical. Items need to be flexible - I have two sofa tables that double as a dining table. If a piece of furniture gets a dent in it, this must not ruin the design.

One of our most exciting... recent interior design projects was restoring 20 suites at Claridges hotel. Our mission was to help them better understand their heritage. We wanted to create something familiar and cosseting but also make it work for the future. It had to be easy to live in but very luxurious. It was about sympathetic restoration.

The Linley website is... one of the fastest expanding parts of the business. My company was one of the first luxury companies to understand the potency of the internet. People's confidence in shopping online is growing with the improvements in payment processes. Its immediacy is very appealing.

We recently... teamed up with chef Tom Aikens to create a kitchen range for food lovers. A lot of research went into the products' usability and design. They're the best of their type.

My advice to young designers... is to look carefully at what you like as a designer and work out if it will be commercial. Always think about what people want and make your designs relevant to their lives. You need to be experimental and vivacious to get noticed. My first collection was outrageous and bright - it was about making a name for myself.

Did you know that famous names like Philippe Starck, Sir Terence Conran and Kelly Hoppen are on mydeco's design board?