About Ardec
Our mission is to create beautiful, inspiring designs that have a genuine positive impact, give life a little more beauty than before and leave a lasting legacy for the future.
Ardec has a long and deep history, you can read our full story here, but today we are a company who believe passionately in the power of great design to have a profound impact upon peoples lives. We love nothing more than to use the creative process to have a positive effect on the world around us and we take our love of history and our heritage to influence our traditional creations for the modern world.
Our creative process is driven by the desire to make a positive, lasting impact on those who experience our work, reflecting our commitment to both beauty and purpose. Whether we’re drawing from the past or shaping the future, we are guided by the belief that thoughtful design can transform not only spaces but also the way that people live, connect, and engage with the world around them. With a passion for blending traditional designs and ideas with contemporary innovation, we strive to create designs that resonate with the modern world while honouring times gone by.
At Ardec, we believe that to move forward in the most meaningful way, we must first understand where we've come from. Our journey is rooted in a deep respect for history, craftsmanship, and the lessons of the past. By drawing on the traditions and values that have shaped us, we are able to bring timeless principles into the modern world with a fresh perspective. This understanding allows us to create designs that are not only innovative and forward-thinking, but also grounded in a rich legacy that continues to inspire and guide our work. We know that great design isn't just about looking ahead—it's about honouring the foundations that make progress possible.
We recognize the immense responsibility we have to the future and the environment that sustains us. This belief is woven into the very fabric of how we work, guiding our choices and shaping our processes. We strive to incorporate sustainable and recycled materials wherever possible, bringing new life to what has already been created. Our love for upcycling and repurposing allows us to create designs that are not only beautiful but also environmentally conscious. We firmly believe that exceptional design doesn’t have to be brand new - it can be thoughtfully reimagined, offering a fresh perspective while reducing waste.
In our efforts to make a positive environmental impact, we plant a tree for every project we undertake, actively contributing to the restoration of our planet and reducing our overall carbon footprint. Through these actions, we aim to design not just for today, but for a better tomorrow - creating a future that reflects our love for both the art of design and the world we share.
Our History
Ardec can trace its origins back over 100 years to 31st October 1925, when the company Ardec Limited was formed. It all started with our founder, Charmian’s, great grandfather – Cyril Oakes, he was a tailor and opened up his very own gentlemen’s outfitters at No. 4 Cedar Parade, Beckenham in Kent. The name ‘Ardec’ was born from this when Cyril reversed the word Cedar to form Radec – this name however was already registered with companies house, so Cyril simply swapped the first two letters and hey presto, here was Ardec (a much better name in our humble opinion).
The gentlemens outfitters proved to be a great success and Cyril was able to open up a second shop where his son, Norman, came to join him in the family business. Things were to change when WWII struck and Norman joined the RAF to proudly serve his country. During the war the second shop closed down but the original managed to survive despite a bomb landing just a mile away on 2ndAugust 1944!
After the war, development of the High Street continued and No. 4 Cedar Parade became 218 High Street. The shop changed very little and in 1970, after training in Saville Row, London; Norman’s son, Roger, joined Ardec to become the 3rd generation tailor and take on the family business. Norman loved his work and continued in the business until he died in April 1996.
Ardec’s story continues into the 4th generation when Roger’s only child, Charmian, decided to join the family business and continue the family legacy. Charmian’s involvement in Ardec started from an early age, she recalls fond memories of joining her father in the shop on a Saturday, Roger had a morning ritual of visiting the local newsagents to buy his daily paper and KitKat and on the days that Charmian joined him, the lovely owner Raj would allow her a free bag of pick n mix sweets.
Charmian’s entry into Graphic Design started from an early age too, Roger was a self-confessed technophobe and wouldn’t even turn on a computer. As Charmian was growing up with computers at school she had a natural flair for design and would create adverts for magazines and posters for the shop window to advertise all that Ardec had to offer.
Charmian joined her father at Ardec in 2010 having recently trained in Interior Design at University of the Arts London where she also honed her graphic design skills and in January 2011 Ardec Designs Ltd was born – Charmian could think of no better name for her design based business to carry on the family story.
In August 2012 Charmian went on to utilise her talent for Interior Design and set about bringing Ardec sympathetically into the twenty first century with a re-launch – the shop had remained largely untouched since its opening way back in 1925 – even the toilet was still outside! The shop had the most exquisite original oak furniture and fixtures, all of which was retained and simple but effective changes were made to bring a new lease of life to the shop – the menswear and tailoring remained on the 1st floor of the shop whilst the ground floor became a place for homeware and gifts, Roger relished the change in direction and he and Charmian had great times on shopping trips to suppliers and worked wonderfully together as a team.
Looking back, it seems obvious where the current direction of Ardec has stemmed from, being surrounded by beautiful, old fashioned craftsmanship from such an early age has clearly had a profound impact upon Charmian and her appreciation for all things vintage and antique and she loves nothing more than to use these unique pieces in her designs and styling today.
Regrettably, in 2014, Ardec of Beckenham made the difficult decision to close it’s doors forever. With fashions fast changing and the huge upsurge in online shopping, it meant that an independent, bricks and mortar shop just wasn’t a viable business prospect any longer. Charmian and Roger, together with their spouses, made the bold leap to change their lives entirely, sell up everything they owned and move to the Kent countryside to start a completely new and exciting family project – a Glamping site – where Charmian was able to put her Interior and Graphic design knowledge to great use and her and Rogers combined business experience proved invaluable.
Sadly, Roger passed away in October 2020 but he’d gotten to realise his life long dream of living in the countryside and had joined his daughter in setting up a whole new business venture as well as having the privilege of becoming a treasured ‘Popsey’ to his granddaughter and 5th generation family business member.
Today, Ardec Designs Ltd trades under the original name of Ardec - our logo features the original, hand-designed font of the 1925 logo and signage, retaining that old world charm and family heritage that Charmian is so immensely proud to be a part of.
The future holds plans to expand Ardec even further and to continue bringing The Art of Beautiful Living to life.
Watch this space...