This is a chair inspired by Welsh stick chairs. The arm is steam bent ash. The legs and sticks are also ash. The seat and crest are from London plane wood. This is finished with black milk paint so that it creates a striking silhouette. The design is based on a traditional shape but looks just at home in a modern setting as well.

The legs and stretchers are turned on the lathe. They are fixed into the seat with tapered mortises that give strong joints. The beauty of the tapered mortice is that it tightens every time you sit on the chair so they are never going to work loose. 

The seat is a single plank of London plane, a wood that takes a very fine finish. The sticks are tapered by hand to give a subtle shape.  All parts of the seat are worked with hand tools, a travisher, spokeshaves, and finally hand sanding.

Milk paint is a finish that has been used for centuries. It is very environmentally friendly and completely non-toxic. It covers the wood but doesn’t hide the grain so the wood still looks like wood. It is burnished with a cloth to build a shine prior to applying a final finish, in this case, Danish oil. This is then polished with beeswax. Milk paint will gradually start to show signs of wear on parts of the chair that are worn the most in daily use. The patina this creates adds to the character of the chair.