WHO WE ARE
Kaizen is a team of remarkably skilled designers and makers creating the finest luxury interiors, hand-crafted in Britain, for prestigious residences and exceptional yachts around the world. Crafting memorable client experiences is at the heart of our culture. Wherever your imagination leads you, Kaizen will join you on an unforgettable journey to bring your vision to life. Working with Kaizen is an opportunity to realise a dream in partnership with a team of extraordinarily talented and passionate designers and artisans, to craft a genuinely original masterpiece of unrivalled refinement and quality.
Kaizen – defining excellence for over 30 years
BILL SCHILLING
Founder & Managing Director
Since founding Kaizen Furniture Makers with Antonius in 1995, Bill has championed the fusion of traditional British craftsmanship and contemporary innovation. Having started his career as a cabinet maker at the bench, his leadership is rooted in a deep, hands-on mastery of the craft, a technical foundation that has seen Kaizen evolve into the world’s finest creator of luxury interiors.
With over four decades of expertise, Bill is dedicated to ensuring the design process is as rewarding as the final result. He prides himself on creating a fun and memorable journey for every client, ensuring technical excellence is delivered through a collaborative and enjoyable experience. When he isn’t in the workshop, Bill finds his balance through his passions for fitness, climbing, and surfing with his family.
JOE GRAY
Executive Director
Joe joined Kaizen Furniture Makers in 2014, bringing a passion for design, a commitment to excellence, and significant experience that helped shape the foundations of the company’s design team. As Design Director, he led the design process and, alongside a talented team, built a reputation for producing high-quality work and exceptional drawings.
Joe’s passion for problem-solving, combined with his positive and collaborative approach, brings out the best in those around him and ensures clients receive thoughtful, effective solutions.
With Kaizen's ownership now trusted to its team, Joe serves as Executive Director, where, together with John and Bill, he is focused on shaping the future of Kaizen Furniture while safeguarding its reputation, heritage, and legacy.
Outside of work, Joe is devoted to his wife, two daughters, and family life. He enjoys the outdoors and has a keen interest in motorsport, having inspired Kaizen to sponsor a prototype race car that he owns and occasionally drives.
JOHN POLHILL
Executive Director
John joined Kaizen in 2010 as a furniture maker, when the production team was just five strong. As the business expanded, he progressed through roles including Workshop Foreman and Workshop Manager before becoming Production Director in 2015. In this role, he has built and led a highly skilled production team dedicated to delivering exceptional quality workmanship within demanding project timelines.
At the heart of John’s role is a lifelong passion for furniture making. He takes particular pride in being involved throughout the journey of each piece, from the earliest design stages through to the finished result. The combination of technical challenge, exceptional materials and transforming ideas into reality continues to inspire him every day.
Following the transition to team ownership, John now serves as Executive Director. Together with Joe and Bill, he is committed to leading Kaizen into its next chapter while preserving the reputation, heritage and craftsmanship that define the business.
Outside of Kaizen, John enjoys spending quality time with his young family, sharing with them his love of sport, family days out and holidays together.
PAULIUS PETRUSEVICIUS
Installation Director
Paulius first sharpened his tools during his early years in Lithuania where he would help his Dad with the woodwork at their summer home, and he still proudly treasures his first handsaw and nail hammer. Inspired by his Dad’s skills as a craftsman, he followed in his footsteps and headed to Building Construction college in Kaunas. At 20 years old, Paulius left his hometown for a new life in London where he started out as a carpenter’s assistant. Driven by his passion for the trade, he progressed very quickly and was managing his own projects within a year. When Paulius moved to a joinery fit out company working on prestigious London projects, he found his niche in furniture making and installation, and joined Kaizen in 2013 as a Senior Installer. For the last seven years Paulius has been managing Kaizen’s site installation team. “With the flow of challenging new projects and such a professional team, there is no where I would rather work than Kaizen” says Paulius. “I am lucky that I get to do what I love here.” Paulius has three things that he does with his free time. Family is his priority – he has a wonderful wife and two children. He never says no to DIY at home, as woodworking is in his blood. But when not with his family or on the tools, he can be found happily spending his downtime fishing.
DAVID BUTCHER
Director of Partnerships & Growth
David joined Kaizen as a Project Manager in 2024 having worked previously in design education for over 20 years. In 2026 he progressed into the Partnerships and Growth role and is now instrumental in the process of securing new projects and working closely with client teams at the early stages of their Kaizen journey. Starting his career as a designer maker in the luxury yacht industry, David is well versed in the materiality, finishes and construction technology of high-profile joinery projects which underpin his day-to-day work at the company. Outside of work, David embraces his own design and construction challenges and will always have an interesting project on the go at his home in the Essex countryside. Alongside these practical interests he also enjoys travel, attending live music events and spending quality time with family and friends.
Working closely with some of the world’s most highly regarded architects and interior designers as well as private clients, we combine traditional artisanship with innovative techniques to design, develop and manufacture joinery and furniture pieces to almost any specification. We create everything from freestanding pieces of furniture to top-to-bottom joinery for kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, dressing rooms, studies, cinema rooms, wine stores and more. We prefer to think of ourselves as furniture engineers. No matter how complex the project, we are committed to delivering innovative design solutions that are beautiful and functional in equal measure, flawlessly finished every time.
We are recognised for our quality and approach rather than a particular design aesthetic. This means we can work to any style, from traditional and highly decorative to contemporary or minimalist. The array of finishes we are able to achieve is endless. As we specialise in working with a multitude of materials from timber veneers to glass, metal, stone, fine fabric or exquisite leathers, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility.
From design concept through to installation and aftercare, our clients value our personal approach and the superior level of service our team of experts deliver at every stage. By handling a project from start to finish and down to every final detail, our dedicated project managers ensure that everything comes seamlessly together, on time and on budget. Having our own installation team, as well as our close proximity to central London, means we are able to be flexible and well equipped in response to special requirements or changes to projects on site.