The individual wooden pieces bringing interior design to life

Last Updated on December 14, 2022

Living rooms and bedrooms have often been the domains of creative interior design, but why shouldn’t a kitchen get the same special treatment? People spend a lot of time in their kitchens; cooking, socialising and now even working too. It has traditionally been known as the heart of the home. So, let’s show it some love.

If you are looking for something really different for your kitchen, then our live edge worktops may be just the ticket. 

These one-off handcrafted planks of solid timber provide a definite wow factor. They are sanded and oiled in a way that maintains the natural grain of the wood, and are shaped to really stand out. Designed to make a feature out of every crack and knot, the history of each ancient tree is celebrated in every piece. Truly, a work of art.

In fact, award-winning 20^th Century furniture designer George Nakashima built his whole career on using live edge wood, saying he was intent on: “doing as perfect a job as possible, of producing something of beauty even out of nature’s discards.”

Check out our Oak worktops

Shop now

Check out our Oak worktops

Shop now

His principles of exceptional craftsmanship, simplicity and the beauty of nature still abound in design today.

What is live edge wood?

These slabs of timber incorporate the natural living edges of a tree, the outer rings, which often include the bark. The width of each piece is determined by the width of the tree trunk itself, with the strong middle section providing the wide boards commonly used in kitchen worktops.

When a full tree trunk is cut into slabs, this is called a flitch. A flitch is often used in interior design as it enables bookmatching, whereby the slabs are joined together to mirror each other, enabling you to have the same grain and colour in one long consistent piece.

The natural contours of the wood give it as much a sculptural quality as a practical worktop solution, to be admired and utilised in equal measure. Let the slab you choose determine your final design.

Versatility in design and use

The added beauty of these strong pieces of solid wood, apart from their literal incredible aesthetics, is that they can also be utilised as tops for dining tables and standalone islands. You can mix and match your kitchen surfaces to your heart’s desire, and bring the room together in a perfect composite design.

You could even go all out and have benches or bespoke shelving made from the same wood, for an all-round cohesive feel, that brings extra warmth to your kitchen.

Ideal for a rustic kitchen in a traditional home, to blend in with its surroundings, these worktops are also just as impressive in a modern kitchen, where new meets old and they can really pop. Enhance the design further with the use of shiny metals such as copper or chrome, to provide a smart contrasting effect.

High-quality craftsmanship

Our master craftsmen take great care with every worktop we supply and none more so than these exceptional wooden pieces, which make a strong impact in any kitchen. It is our job to ensure that the craftsmanship is just as impressive. 

Keeping the wood flat, and using the highest-quality timber and the best in oils and stains, we take pride in making each piece as beautiful and hardwearing as it can be, so it lasts for many years to come. The slabs are kiln-dried to remove as much moisture as possible and minimise warping, for this same reason.

As with all our worktops, they can be cut and sanded to fit your requirements and measurements. And, the best thing about our live edge worktops is that they are truly bespoke to you and your home, while carrying years of history in the fabric of their composition.

Prime and sustainable materials

Because each piece is unique, and dependent on exactly what has been felled and created, we have a small selection of wood at each moment of time, which is constantly being updated with the latest additions. Each slab has its own style and colour, with a choice of chestnut, walnut or ash and a mixture of grains, knots, splits, and gnarly bits adding character.

If we don’t have what you are looking for right now, we might well have something suitable available in a couple of months’ time. Contact us if there is something specific you require, and we will talk through your options and see what we can do. 

For your peace of mind, all our wood comes from our own forests in the Balkans, and is sustainably grown and produced. We have a zero waste policy, and our live edge worktops are a great example of this process in practice. We also use green energy in all our workshops and showrooms.

Final Thoughts 

If you like the artisanal live edge look, why not make it an interior design feature around the rest of your home too? You can get wood-turned bowls, chopping boards, candlesticks, lamp stands and a myriad other home wares, as well as larger pieces such as coffee tables, bed heads and mantelpieces. Our live edge worktops could be just the start of a beautiful home, filled with natural wooden treasures. 

Or, for the ultimate in impact, a live edge kitchen worktop will stand out from the crowd all on its own, and be an awesome interesting focal point to the room. However you want to design your home, talk to us to help make it possible.