⚲ Cotswolds, England • Est. 2025

The Matchbox Maker

Illustrated luxury matchboxes designed and made in Britain.

FOUNDED

2025

FOUNDER

Michelle Harle and Katie Crosbie Dawson

LOCATION

Filkins, Cotswolds

CATEGORY

Home Accessories

 

About The Matchbox Maker

 

The Matchbox Maker turns an everyday household object into something worth leaving on display, pairing British illustration with generous scale, thoughtful materials and a playful sense of occasion.

 

Visit website↗

@intothegreen_handcraft↗

 
 

Made in Cotswolds, England

 

The Cotswolds has been shaped for centuries by the relationship between landscape, material and making. Wool, stone, wood and agriculture built its towns and continue to influence how the area sees itself.

Today, that heritage supports an unusually rich creative culture. Designers, food producers, artists and homeware brands work across villages and market towns, often combining rural calm with an outward-looking sense of style. The best Cotswold businesses feel rooted without becoming nostalgic

 
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""Luxury isn’t always loud — sometimes, it’s found in the small, beautiful boxes.""

– Michelle Harle and Katie Crosbie Dawson

Meet the people behind The Matchbox Maker

Michelle Harle and Katie Crosbie Dawson are old friends who combined experience in bespoke luxury and the gift industry to launch The Matchbox Maker in 2025. Their work reimagines the matchbox as a practical piece of illustrated British design.

SENSE OF PLACE
Modern craft in an ancient landscape.
Explore independent Cotswold makers bringing contemporary ideas to a region long defined by material, skill and beauty.

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VALUES & SUSTAINABILITY

British print, practical beauty.

The signature range is designed, printed and made in Britain. The boxes are plastic-free and fully recyclable, and the longer, thicker matches are intended to be both safer to use and more resistant to breakage. Bespoke production also allows the brand to work with customers and businesses on considered small runs.

THE LOCAL EDITORIAL

Why we love The Matchbox Maker

The Matchbox Maker finds joy in an overlooked object. The boxes are useful, beautifully scaled and confident enough to become part of a room, while the illustrated covers add the character of a small print or book jacket.

Find The Matchbox Maker online

Visit website @thematchboxmaker

The craft of Home Accessories

 

The objects we live with every day shape the atmosphere of a room. A well-made accessory can be practical, decorative and quietly expressive without demanding attention.

The Local looks for British designers who bring thought to even the smallest household rituals. Material, proportion, illustration and utility all matter—because the ordinary objects are often the ones we handle most.

 
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Discover the people behind Britain’s best products.

CORNWALL
COTSWOLDS
KENNET & AVON CANAL
NORFOLK
SOMERSET
HAMPSHIRE

We don’t feature everything. Only the makers we genuinely believe in. Every producer is chosen for exceptional craftsmanship, thoughtful sourcing and a true connection to place—so you can discover Britain’s best with confidence.

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