Waywood

If it can be made in wood, we can probably make it for you, and even if it can't - well let's just say we like a challenge! Over the last 30+ years we have made everything from jewellery boxes to Cathedral furniture with a few detours for unusual projects like F1 engine part replicas along the way! We are experienced and time-served craftsmen through and through, but have always experimented with our craft. Somewhere along the way we got interested in digital CAD/CAM technology too, and the result is a workshop with one foot firmly rooted in craft traditions, and one stepping out into the future.

We like to visit the client to see where the intended piece of furniture is to go. This is useful in gathereing the information we need: it's purpose, size, surroundings, the customer's tastes and the budget or deadline we need to work to. Next, we prepare designs for discussion, together with estimated costs. After full consultation with the client and any necessary design modifications, we put forward our final proposals including a firm quotation. At the point of ordering we ask for a 20% deposit and the work is booked into our schedule.

This elliptical dining table has four interlocking legs that provide excellent support for the top and also provide plenty of leg room around the table. The inlay and edge detail change shape around the top which gives a stunning effect. We have used Black Walnut for the twisted legs and the top has been made from Burr Poplar with a Black Walnut solid edge. We have made a number of different versions of this design and is available in alternative woods and sizes. We have made a number of these chairs, this design works very well when viewed as a pair of chairs.

These floating stair treads are made out Black walnut and Ash, there is a metal structure fixed into the wall that supports each of the treads. The sculptural treads are then applied to the metal supports to give the floating effect. An excellent collaboration between Waywood, client and numerous professionals to achieve the desired effect. We took some of the shapes that were used on the stair-treads to create this complementary piece. This sculpture was created between two flights of stairs to create a safety barrier as well as the focal point of the room, they are made out of two layers of shaped chestnut uprights that pick up on the movement of reedbeds in the river that runs adjacent to the property.

The client wanted us to design a sideboard that had a number of different curves and features working together. The inspiration was taken from a piece we made a number of years ago that the client had previously seen. Another piece that has been the inspiration behind a few designs we have made based around shaped handles revealing a contrasting timber. This design is very much a Waywood classic, we have made numerous versions of this design out of a variety of different timbers and also in many different shapes and sizes.

Waywood combines the varied skills of three furniture makers, with backgrounds and influences as diverse as fine art, cabinetmaking, boat building and CAD/CAM manufacturing. We often approach problem solving from completely different directions. Our collaborative design process and approach to problem solving allow a wealth of options for design and making solutions. Equally, the role of designer might be given to the person who is best suited to the client's brief, but the resources available to us from our varied backgrounds allow a huge diversity of influences and experience.

There are tens of thousands of different tree species growing throughout the world, each one with a recognisable grain pattern. Each tree in turn produces its own individual version of that grain, creating endless visual variation. For the artist, craftsman and designer, wood offers unlimited potential as a decorative surface and is an incredible, sustainable structural material. Timber selection is a crucial stage of any furniture making project, and one over which a maker will deliberate at length.