Saranac Ottoman

Mark Gabbertas, born in Yorkshire in 1962, began his academic journey at Durham University, where he earned a degree in political philosophy. After spending eight years in advertising with Saatchi & Saatchi, he shifted gears in 1990 to train as a cabinet-maker. His training started with an apprenticeship at Codrington Furniture and continued at Stemmer and Sharp's Oblique workshops in Hackney, where he worked as a junior maker.

Following two years of honing his skills, Mark decided to set up his own business and embarked on the path of a designer-maker. His early projects were for private clients, but soon larger commercial commissions became more frequent and took center stage in his workshop.

Mark was a key figure in the British design revival during the 1990s, particularly in the rise of the self-producing designer. His work gained visibility in several prominent retail outlets, such as Purves and Purves and The Furniture Union.