Tucked behind Karma Indian Food is a small, whitewashed workshop which overlooks the West Kirby to Liverpool railway line.
Behind the door of the nondescript building is an unexpected treasure trove of the most incredible bespoke, oak furniture.
It is all the work of master craftsman, Steven Casey, whose business has operated from the same site since 1984.
You may not have heard of Steven but your path may have inadvertently crossed with his work.
He is responsible for creating much of the furniture which graces the world famous Royal Liverpool Golf Club, including its trophy cabinet. Steve has also worked with Wirral Council building furniture for Birkenhead Town Hall, as well as restoring some of its historic pieces too.
Most recently he created a bespoke plinth for a bronze bust of the Grand Admiral of Peru, Miguel Grau Seminario, which was donated to Wirral Council by the Peruvian Navy. The bust is in honour of the historic Peruvian ship, Huascar, which was built by the Laird Brothers in Birkenhead in 1864.
Steven said: “I’m just incredibly passionate about working with wood. I particularly love restoring historic pieces and imagining who the cabinet maker was and what his life was like. Cabinet makers, me included, often secretly sign their work and I love finding these secret messages from the past to the future.
“I was once restoring a writing desk for a lady, which had been in her family for generations, and I asked her if the secret drawer still worked. She had no idea what I was talking about but I found it and when we opened it, the drawer was filled with love letters between her grandparents. She was so happy, she cried.”
Steven was one of Karma’s first ever customer’s when the restaurant opened 15 years ago and remains a loyal regular to this day.
He is responsible for much of the bespoke furniture, which was created for the restaurant’s refurbishment last year and even taught Hussain and Babul, from Karma, how to stain wood
He said: “I think we get on because the Karma team are as passionate about food as I am about wood, and we recognise that in each other.”
