Tag Archives: bespoke

Bespoke Gate Post Caps

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These two bespoke gate post caps were designed to fit on the driveway gateposts of a customer last year. He is an author and a bee keeper, hence the carved motifs. They are  hand carved from locally sourced wood and each made from a single piece of oak.

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honey bee, carving, bee, apis mellifera, hand carved, book, custom made, bespoke , finial, post cap, newel cap, oak, Scottish oak,

You can see more newel caps here and I can make them to your design and dimensions.

The client was very specific about the species of bee that he wanted me to carve on the book. It had to be apis mellifera. I had to do some research before carving, so I could get the shape of the body correct. Oddly enough, at the time of carving we discovered a small colony of miner bees in the garden, which led us to try and see how many different types of bee we could spot. 

Luckily for my gate post caps project the design for the green man carving was easier. I did look at a few different styles though, and gave the client a sketch of each. The scale of the book limited the detail I could carve, so the green man had to be relatively simple. Sometime I would like to carve a much bigger and more detailed green man, with more leaves.

Bespoke Furniture for Under the Stairs

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elm, burr elm, bespoke furniture, custom-made furniture, Scottish furniture, cabinet, shelves, dresser, furniture,Commissioning  furniture for under the stairs

Bespoke furniture for under the stairs is the solution to the problem of those awkward areas in small cottages.

Last year a couple came to my workshop to see if I could come up with a solution for their house. They wanted a bespoke piece of furniture, something with cupboards and shelves which would fit a small area under the stairs. Perhaps something in the dresser style, with an angled top section. They were looking for something special that they had not seen anywhere ready made.

Customised Furniture Design

We talked over the design elements they required. They wanted natural edges to the wood which was to be locally sourced Wych Elm. I asked the couple how many shelves were needed and what spacings were preferred between the shelves. They had special things they wanted on show, so the shelf heights were important. We also had to make allowances for electric sockets on the wall behind the cabinet so they could be accessible. They told me exactly what they wanted. I just had to make it for them.

And, of course, it had to be ready for Christmas!

The furniture I made is 5′ 5″ tall ( 1650 mm ) and 5′ ( 1520 mm ) wide. The lower cabinet is 22″ high ( 560 mm ). The handles and the bun feet are all hand turned, from burr elm. I finished the whole cabinet and shelves with 3 coats of Danish oil. The shelving fits nicely under the stairs and creates a display area where the space had previously been wasted. The cupboard doors are held closed by magnetic catches. Not too strong, but firm enough.

Now those special items are on display while the cupboards are used to store all those less important bits and pieces out of the way.