TWO graduates have teamed up to start a business which allows people to design their own furniture online.

Rhys Jones and Phil Clothier, both 25, are offering a bespoke service through their ClothierJones.com website, which allows users to choose the design and colour of their furniture. The unique final product is made up for them by UK-based craftsmen.

The business combines the two friends’ skills. Mr Jones, who is from Hexham, studied business at Glasgow University, while Mr Clothier, from Whitley Bay, is a computer programme graduate from Northumbria University.

Mr Jones said: “We both have a huge interest in the design industry and, the more we spoke about products, we realised that there were great prospects in developing an exciting new interactive website.

“We began to research the market and spoke to a lot of people that fit our demographic, which had a very positive response.”

The business partners worked with Newcastle-based Pixel House Media to develop the web app which allows people to design their own furniture online. “This will allow the user to design a bespoke piece of furniture by changing the style and fabric to their liking – all from the comfort of their own home. When complete, this new app will be the first of its kind in the UK,” said Mr Jones. “We are very lucky to have someone with a wealth of experience in computer programming in the company. This will allow us to develop our online software much faster than the majority of companies in the same field. Due to the complexity of the software, it has taken well over six months to develop. It’s taken us a lot of work to get here but we’re very excited to announce it will be on the website in the new year.”