Side Table II
2025
Burr Oak
Approx. H 41 cm W 45 cm D 60 cm
Unique Work
*All items are handmade, so the actual pieces may vary slightly in color and size from the measurement shown online.
Bobby Mills is a self-taught craftsman and designer based on the rugged Atlantic coast of North Devon, South West England. In his work Mills explores the relationships that exist between human-led and nature-led design. By working in collaboration with the natural features of the wood Mills seeks to express the essence of the trees he works with in furniture pieces and other sculptural objects. With no formal training Mills works unhampered by technical process, instead relying on a sensitive approach to nature and intuition.
Mills has work housed in private collections across the world and has gallery representation in London, Japan, Canada and Taiwan.
Charred English Burr Oak
English burr oak is a rare and prized form of oak prized for its character and distinctive grain patterning. Burr oak grows particularly slowly and this growing process can be felt in the weight of the wood, heavy and dense. This burr oak has been sourced from an ancient windblown tree. The wood has been carefully dried in our in-house kiln in order to stabilise the timber. From there these objects have been found from within the tree’s timbers, they are already present, and require unearthing.
The wood has been carefully dried in the studio kiln prior to working in order to stabilise the fibres and release tension in the wood. From there the objects have been found and discovered within the timbers of the tree as cuts are made to the wood. Slowly objects such as chairs and stools unravel from the tree with the aid of hand tools and old woodworking techniques. In places the tool markings have been left behind in the finished pieces reflecting the process that created them.
After each object has been made it is then charred by hand with a blow torch. Tensions are created in the wood’s structures once again, then released in cooling, sometimes altering the shape of the wood into new natural forms. A lengthy process of cleaning and finishing with natural wax oils is then followed in order to seal and preserve the finish.