Second Life: Tabletop Essentials Made from Salvaged British Hardwoods

The latest utilitarian object cum art piece that’s got us swooning: wooden bowls by artisan Max Bainbridge, one half of the duo behind the London design firm Forest & Found (his partner, Abigail Booth, fashions modern, hand-sewn quilts). The handmade vessels display the quiet balance of Japanese ceramics combined with the tactile grandeur of wood. Here’s a look at some favorites from the line.

Forest & Found works with the Forestry Commission in Epping Forest to source sustainably managed and storm-damaged sections of British hardwoods.

Forest & Found relishes the unpredictability of the creative process, whereby the artist’s hands meet living wood. “Cracks in seasoned wood will reveal themselves in the process of turning, and splits will open up in green wood as it dries and warps the edges of bowls. These imperfections and movements remind us that we are working with a material that to all intents and purposes is still alive.”

The unique nature of each piece of wood informs not only the grain, color, and markings but also the form, giving each Forest & Found vessel its own individual character.

Forest & Found also makes smaller, everyday Oak and Walnut Bowls; starting at £30 ($36.58). Trays, spoons, and bowls are also available at The Future Kept.

More slow wood to covet:

• Josh Vogel Launches a New Line of Furniture
• Moody Blues: Silvia Song’s Indigo-Dyed Bowls and More
• 10 Easy Pieces: Artful Wooden Spoons