Mike Clare has been presented with the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award by The Furniture Makers’ Company.
The Dreams founder received the award in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the British bed and furniture industry. The award is presented annually to someone who has devoted their life to the furtherment of the furnishing industry and left an indelible mark on the trade.
Clare was presented the award by alderman Bronek Masojada representing the Lady Mayor, and Jessica Alexander, MFC master. He founded Dreams in 1987 at the age of 30, with a store in Hillingdon, Greater London.
Alongside investments in property, retail and business lending, Clare has restored and transformed several unique landmark properties, including Scottish castles, a Worcestershire monastery and Victorian sea forts off Portsmouth, converting them into luxury hospitality destinations. He serves as an ambassador and Deputy Lieutenant for Buckinghamshire, is a freeman at The Furniture Makers’ Company and has received awards, including an Honorary Doctorate from Bucks New University for his achievements in furniture, commerce and entrepreneurship.
In 2009 he founded The Clare Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping charitable organisations become more commercial, efficient and sustainable, with the aim of making Buckinghamshire ‘the happiest county in the UK’.
‘It’s an enormous pleasure for me to announce Mike as this year’s recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award. Mike and I have known each other for practically all our long careers in the furniture industry and I can’t think of a more deserving person to receive it,’ says Alexander.
‘I am honoured and delighted to receive such a prestigious award from the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, especially when I consider the distinguished names among the previous recipients. I have spent my life in this remarkable industry which has given me so much – friendships, opportunities, challenges, success and of course many sleepless nights which, given my career in beds, feels slightly ironic. The UK furniture industry is a surprisingly dynamic, rewarding, and inspiring sector to be part of: it has certainly made my dreams come true,’ says Clare.
