When Betty Joel married she did not want old, dark furniture in her new, modern home. Her husband, David, began making furniture, and she started designing in order to prove she could do it better than him. She focussed on three things: simple, unfussy lines, the natural beauty of wood, and quality of workmanship. They named the business, initially based in Hayling Island, Token Works (Token being a mix of teak and oak) and proclaimed "The Dawn of a New Period in Furniture Design". This walnut side cabinet (1935) epitomises the Art Deco glamour of the period.