BASED IN CO WICKLOW, Bear Creation design and manufacture high quality furniture and homeware pieces with contemporary appeal that are designed to age beautifully and that, if well maintained, can be passed down to the next generation. Founder Brian Tyrell speaks to Ruth O’Connor about celebrating ten years of business this year.

The BÄR modular shelving system in oak is a collaboration between Bear Creation and Klimmek Furniture and comes in a variety of combinations with prices starting at around €3,545.90. Ailbe Collins. Ailbe Collins.

What inspired you to start your business? 

It was quite impromptu. I’d been looking for a unit for a friend who taught woodworking. I came across a shared desk workshop, started making the furniture for one job and it went from there.

What have you learnt in the past ten years in business both as a craftsperson and business person?

Failure is a massive part of business. To survive you need to fail.

What has been the most challenging time for your business?

Every year presents a whole new string of problems and successes. In my mind 2020 to 2021, that time during the pandemic, was a very, very scary time to be in business.

The Cruinn tray in pink by Bear Creation. Ailbe Collins. Ailbe Collins.

You provide both ready made products and a custom design service – how do you balance the two aspects of the business/ service?

Our work is done on demand. We are a very small company – there are  four of us total – so if there is a high demand for bespoke furniture we will switch to that. If there is a high demand for production we will then develop and produce more products. We adapt depending on what the demand is. We have everything on wheels so we can switch our workshop up easily.

How has your business evolved over time?

Initially it was completely set up around myself and I did everything. As time has gone on, and I have more people working for me, the biggest change is that I have had to relinquish control and to allow others to flourish with creation giving me more time for other projects.

Where do you look for inspiration?

Music and fashion is where I find a lot of inspiration. I enjoy the structured shapes that a lot of designers create for the catwalk. When it comes to the influence of music I love the graphic design and illustration used for album covers.

The Art Deco-inspired drinks cabinet made in solid walnut and midnight blue stained oak with brass detailing can be custom made by Bear Creation. Ailbe Collins. Ailbe Collins.

Describe your workspace.

The workshop is small but it’s adaptable. Every machine except the CNC (a computer controlled machine) and a table saw is on wheels so we can change our workshop to fit the projects we’re working on.

We do everything from designing the product to making it from beginning to end. I think that it’s important that designers are makers too. I strongly disagree with the approach of some of the colleges whereby students are spending a lot of time on computers and not enough time working with materials in the workshop. If you are designing something with the point of view of making it, and indeed, using it, I believe you will come up with a better product that is functional as well as beautiful. 

Describe a typical working day.

I get in early – usually around 6.30am or 7am. I tend to get emails and the administrative work done early in the day. The rest of the day depends on what needs to be done. If there’s a product I need to design I can spend the whole day designing. If I’m in the middle of making something or there’s a lot of making going on I will dedicate the day to focusing on that. We make a lot of pieces bespoke for domestic and commercial customers. On the commerical side that would include huge boardroom tables, display units and room dividers.

This solid walnut sideboard has plenty of storage and features Bear Creation's signature tambour doors. Ailbe Collins. Ailbe Collins.

How important is teamwork and collaboration to what you do?

Bear Creation couldn’t exist without collaboration. Bear Creation is certainly my business but it is my colleagues that make it a functional business. The people who work with me – Leo, Robin and Erica – are each vital components in the stability of the business. 

Is sustainability important to Bear Creation?

Sustainability is the reason we got into this industry. I believe that fine, well-made furniture is the key to sustainability. If you have something you can maintain and keep for your entire life you can hand it down or you can sell it on. We take materials that are made and grown in Europe that don’t come across oceans. We oil them so that the client can re-oil them later on in life. Maintenance and repair is a massive part of furniture that is just not catered for by any big retailer.

Are you or your customers interested in trends?

I think we are all interested in trends and that’s ok. I think we need to be open about how we are impacted by styles and trends. I find it amusing when contemporary makers say they’re not influenced by trends because it’s impossible not to be.

Have you seen a shift in people’s tastes over your ten years in business?

We began from a position of trying to run a sustainable business – for example we refused to use tropical timber from the outset even if it was FSC certified. We did use North American timbers but we have shifted away from those as much as possible due to the carbon footprint of moving the material.

People are a lot more understanding of the sustainable side of things and it’s a selling point now whereas ten years ago they didn’t really care. I think people are really starting to get our ethos of making things to last that can be maintained for a lifetime and beyond.

I think that Irish people’s tastes have also developed in terms of aesthetics. It’s probably controversial to say but I think thanks to good design by the likes of Ikea they have become less conservative and are not so scared to embrace something a bit different. 

As we now have a ten year back catalogue at Bear Creation customers are starting to trust us a lot more too. 

The five leg table in solid ash by Bear Creation. Ailbe Collins. Ailbe Collins.

If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?

I would be a really, really bad employee for someone else. I think a lot of business owners are terrible employees that’s why we set up our own companies! I can be very energetic and do way more than the average person and then I can also do nothing which can enrage and employer but working for myself means that I can work whenever I want even if that’s at 5.30 or 6am. 

What has been your proudest moment or favourite project so far?

That’s a tough question. I’ve worked on a lot of projects that have gotten me to another level or another stage of my career. It’s hard to put into perspective because every new product we do seems to be more important than the last. There’s our drinks cabinet which really elevated us and grew our audience and I am currently enjoying working on some new collaborations with people such as Knut Klimmeki with whom we have collaborated on our new Ponc shelving system.

What’s next for you and your business as you celebrate your 10th anniversary in 2025?

I want to do a lot more production of furniture. There’s not enough being made in Ireland. Realistically the most sustainable way out of our problems with furniture is to make high quality furniture using batch production so that we can reduce the cost. We offer the maintenance, repair and resale of our furniture. I want more people to be able to afford our furniture and to see the wealth and the value in it for years and years to come.

For more information about Bear Creation go to: www.bearcreation.com.

Bear Creation will be exhibiting and speaking at Design Source Ireland - a trade only networking event taking place in Dublin’s RDS on the 7th and 8th of March 2025. www.designsourceireland.ie