Martin studied design and cabinet making at London’s Central School of Arts & Crafts (now Central St Martins) graduating with distinction in 1953 and spent the next 5 years as an assistant to leading architects and designers.

In 1960 he won an international chair design competition run by the Italian Company Arflex which went into production as the London Chair, thus kicking off his freelance design career working for several British and international companies, notably Walter Knoll, Kandya, and Collins & Hayes.

In 1975 he set up his own workshop at the Barley Mow Workspace in Chiswick. Over the next 15 years he built up an increasing reputation as a designer/maker, producing furniture to a high standard of design and craftsmanship, making unique pieces for private clients, and regularly exhibiting at galleries.

In 1990 he bought a workshop in Canham Road, equipped with larger manufacturing machines and more assistants. Major commissions included public seating for the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery, and furniture for Croydon Town Hall, The Tate Gallery at St Ives, several Cambridge colleges and the Governor of the Bank of England.

Martin always sought an appropriate form for each piece, relating it to its surroundings, either by contrast or closely related style. He worked closely with his clients, both private and corporate, to achieve furniture that will live up to their expectations and aspirations. He believed that the success and beauty of a design lay as much in the consistent attention to detail and choice of materials as in the overall concept.

Martin was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, the Chartered Society of Designers and the Society of Designer Craftsmen. He joined The Furniture Makers’ Company in 1992, winning their Golden Jubilee Award for gallery seating at the Wallace Collection in 2002.

Besides pursuing such a long and distinguished career as a designer and maker, Martin modestly dedicated himself to teaching and helping young furniture makers, particularly through his own workshop, and by organising exhibitions of bespoke furniture.