Over the last few months, the Covid-19 pandemic has sharpened our collective appreciation of the great outdoors like never before. And of course, decor trends are increasingly bringing nature inside. From solid timber furniture to house plants, botanical prints, neutral colours and natural linens, we are progressively blurring the lines between our interiors and the natural world beyond.
Encapsulating nature
Here at Forest to Home, we are long-time fans of the great outdoors. And when it comes to encapsulating nature’s raw beauty, our live-edge furniture is hard to beat. Put simply, live-edge is a type of furniture where the natural edge of the wood is maintained in its organic state and celebrated as a feature. Every gnarly knot, burr and split is positively embraced by our designers, to create a stunning and totally unique piece. This is about as far from ‘airbrushed,’ mass-produced furniture as you can get.
So, where does the process begin? First, we meticulously handpick the best logs from the mill, ensuring we allow for varied degrees of character. Whether it’s oak, elm or walnut, we buy the entire trunk and the timber is dried, then sliced into slabs.
Once the raw slabs are ready, our clients can select their perfect piece of timber, before we set about capturing every beautiful detail. While conventional joinery might involve cutting off knots and splits to make a door or window, we prize that character and leave minimal waste. Others might see flaws, but nature’s gently undulating imperfections are our treasure.
Wild and raw
There are a number of ways we can finish a live edge table. The subtle ‘smoothed’ style celebrates the beauty of the raw edge, by preserving many of the features but with an emphasis on modernity. Then there’s the ‘de-barked’ effect, which exudes a powerful, natural feel. You’ll see this in our Edges Table, which showcases a wildly raw, waney and rugged live-edge top with a solid timber base. Or if you like clean lines, take a look at our Elements Table, which has a carefully sanded live-edge finish, paired with a simple ash base.
And you’ll find live edges on our other designs too. From bespoke raw edge shelving to our Contour coffee table, each piece is as unique as a work of art. We are currently even working on an impressive live-edge kitchen island, made from six showstopping slices of elm. Whatever the product, every waney crack, knot and burr is hand-finished, to maintain its character.
One-of-a-kind
Of course, one of the biggest beauties of live-edge furniture is that no two pieces are ever the same. Instead of being stripped of quirks and divorced from nature, these are unique centrepieces that ooze character and tell the story of the tree. Solid and striking, they will stand the test of time.
If you would like to view our range of live-edge furniture or chat about a bespoke piece, please do contact us here.
