Home-Grown Talent

Established in 2009, Sylva Foundation is an environmental charity working to build a vibrant, productive and sustainable future for Britain’s woodlands and wood culture. Based in Oxfordshire and active across the UK, its pioneering work includes studying how trees and forests are responding to climate change, and creating digital tools to support sustainable forest creation and management. It also runs the Sylva Wood School, a specialist center teaching a new generation of designers, makers, consumers and woodland owners about the uses and potential of timber grown in Britain.

This year, students on its flagship six-month professional training course worked with us to create a unique furniture collection, all made from Grown in Britain (GiB) certified British ash, and incorporating skills and techniques they developed during the course. All the pieces are hand-finished in a white pigment oil, which protects the timber while allowing its natural colours, which vary from pale white to olive tones, to express themselves fully.

A curved seat, straight legs and clean lines give the Sylva Curved Stool its distinctive silhouette. Traditional tenon joints are secured within double-socketed mortices, giving additional strength to the wedge joints between the leg and seat. 

“Each stool had to meet a consistent standard while responding to the nuances of individual boards,” explains student, Molly Reeve. “The project also introduced us to some more advanced spindle molding and highlighted the challenges of accurate alignment, consistency and stability when making four- legged furniture with multiple components.”

“This was my favourite product by far,” says student, Zein Harfouch. “I loved the problem-solving for batch production and jig-making, analysing grain and colour to match for unique but fluid composition, and using countless new techniques.”
 

The students applied similar thinking and craft techniques to the Sylva side table. Elegantly turned, elongated legs and a smooth, rounded shape create a sleek, tactile product that fits effortlessly into both modern and traditional interiors. 

“My favourite piece to work on was the bedside cabinet,” says student, Philip Wood. “It brought together everything I’d learned in a substantial, fully realised piece of fine furniture. It was the first project where I could really see my progress reflected in the quality of the work; completing it left me genuinely proud of what I’d achieved.” The cabinet features a single drawer and a functional galleried top, offering both storage and security for everyday items.

It’s designed to complement the Sylva bookcase, which has three sturdy shelves, with one being adjustable: the top edge allows items to be leaned securely without rolling off, while its minimalist design and compact dimensions make it highly versatile.

“It’s been interesting working on products that hadn't been produced before,” says student, Philip Samson. ”We had to do more than simply follow what had happened previously, and consider how techniques we’d learned might be adapted to a new situation.”

These small-batch items are available to purchase, but in strictly limited numbers: 10 each of the Curved Stool and Side Table; and just five examples of the Bedside Cabinet and Bookcase. All proceeds will help fund the Sylva Foundation’s vital and life-enhancing work. 

“The Sylva Wood School has been pivotal in shaping my career change into furniture making. The team are what makes it such an amazing place to be a part of: their focus on home-grown timber and environmental values is inspiring, and the support they have given me as a beginner maker has been invaluable,” says student, Nicola Rees-Williams.

You can find more details here.