When Rachel and Duey approached us, they had a clear vision — and a beautifully tricky brief. They'd converted a farmhouse into a strikingly contemporary home, and needed seating for their kitchen that could hold its own in that space. Rachel works in the arts, and her instinct was for something with a subtle statement — nothing showy, but nothing ordinary either.
The one practical constraint was flexibility. The pieces needed to move — around the kitchen, into other rooms, outside on a summer evening. That ruled out anything heavy or precious.
Choosing the timber
Ash was the natural choice. Light in colour, clean in grain, and strong enough to take the knocks of daily life without losing its character. We hand-selected the planks from rough sawn stock — straight from the sawmill, full of potential.
The design
The brief called for clean, simple lines — and we found our inspiration in Japanese joinery. There's a philosophy in that tradition of letting the structure speak for itself: no hiding the joints, no disguising how things are held together. Honest making.
Large mortice and tenon joints were used throughout, left visible rather than concealed. A small detail, but one that changes everything — it tells you exactly what the piece is and how it works.
In the workshop
From the first cuts to the dry assembly, the making took shape over several weeks. The legs were shaped and the joints cut by hand, each one fitted individually.
The result
A bench and two stools — flexible, lightweight, and built to move. At home in a contemporary farmhouse kitchen, equally at ease outside. The ash will mellow beautifully over time, the joints will only tighten, and the piece will outlast the room it was made for.
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