As soon as I saw Sebastian Cox’s website I knew I had to meet him. Here was a person who was doing exactly what I’d like to see happen with coppiced material – turning them into modern, high-end furniture.
Traditional, rustic furniture certainly has its place, and its audience, but there is also a wider potential audience that enjoy a more contemporary look and who are keen to support british makers and British woodlands.
Sebastian began his journey in 2010, noticing the disconnect between the customer and the supplier of the material. A visit to a timber yard brought home the odd experience of passing acres and acres of woodland only to find all the timber in the yard was imported. Our woodlands are severely under-managed in this country – up to 50% – yet we continue to import wood.
How we change this practice is a question that both myself and Sebastian share. Our relationship with food, and where that comes from, has changed dramatically over the last decade or so. How do we do the same for wood?
Sebastian is answering this question through design, and educates his customer base through the products he offers. Rather than using whatever the customer requests instead he offers and informs the customer of what wood is available this year and designs something beautiful out of that. It means that the customer still gets what they want but they use up surplus timber supplies such as beech and ash.
As for the box. I had a good go with some American Walnut that was grown in this country. I loved the beautiful purple hues in the timber along with a dark brown waney edge. Dove tails are a lovely joint to work with – as long as you get them the right way around. Thank goodness for mallets and ample supplies of wax to fill in the gaps!
It was great to see the master at work and get lots of useful tips. I definitely recommend it as a good day out.
(A full interview with Sebastian Cox will be published in the Small Woods Magazine shortly!)
