Award winning furniture designer and master craftsman Angus Ross will be exhibiting at RHS Chelsea in May this year for the first time. On display will be the limited edition Dalerb range of garden furniture. The range is available to pre-order from Angus Ross for construction after the show is over.
The company is proud to be a part of a local circular economy. They are often contacted by tree surgeons, farmers, forests and estates who manage woodlands in case they can make use of felled or fallen wood.
Milton of Dalcapon is an area (and a woodland) near Pitlochry and Aberfeldy. Two oak trees were felled locally on a farm and offered to Angus Ross and will be used to make the first four sets of the limited edition Dalerb range.
The second edition will be made in Fortingall oak. Three large oaks on the Glen Lyon Estate near Fortingall blew over in 2021 during a storm. The wood was offered to Angus Ross. It has been air dried ‘in-stick’ for a ‘year per inch’ in the Aberfeldy yard.
“With the Dalerb Garden Collection I was thinking about people who have city gardens, or a small patio, where they like to sit for a coffee, lunch or informally eat with friends and family in the evening. The furniture is designed to be comfortable and durable and look beautiful from all angles. Our oak compliments all planting and is waste wood from sustainable Working Woods. Using it supports the people caring for our local trees, and in particular the specialist saw-millers who provide us with planks and ensure the wood will be used for more than firewood!”
Angus Ross
Working woods are happy woods and Angus Ross are licencees of the Scottish Working Woods label. Every last bit of the oak will be used. Whatever is not used for the furniture will be used for firewood or wood chips for mulching. In fact, the entire process is almost zero waste. Angus Ross worked with a local saw miller, Pol Bergius, whose mobile saw mill will use a small amount of oil for milling and transportation. The machinery at Angus Ross uses renewable electricity.
The beautiful, long and straight milled timber from these oak trees is ideal for steam bending. It will be air dried, steamed in a steam box and then shaped by hand at the workshop in Aberfeldy.
Once all of the components are ready, the garden furniture will be constructed using traditional joint work. This detailed work requires skilled craftsmen who will join the pieces. The chair alone is made up of seven pieces, including the curved backrest, slatted seat, the armrests and the legs.
“There is a great attention to detail and we use traditional joint work to create beautiful, robust and durable furniture.”
Angus Ross
Angus Ross Furniture makes a range of products that are made to order including the haiku stool set and the frame rocker. Smaller accessories like soap dishes and serving platters are also available to purchase on the website.
The company also works on commission making bespoke furniture. In 2021 they worked on benches for the National Trust Red House, former home of William Morris. This project won them the Blue Patch Heritage Award. Last year they created the Fountain Benches for The Amelia in Tunbridge Wells. Craft Britain : Why Making Matters by Helen Chislett and David Linley (the Earl of Snowdon) featured two of their pieces of work; Memorial Bench and Forth Bench.
Angus Ross have made outdoor and garden commissions that are used throughout the UK from Edinburgh to Bristol. Many of them are in public spaces. Air dried Scottish oak is the perfect material for outdoor furniture and sculptures as it is both hard wearing and natural in appearance.
To see the Dalerb set, visit Angus Ross Furniture at the Chelsea flower show on trade stand SW315 (beside Main Avenue). RHS Chelsea runs from 22-27 May 2023.
The limited edition Dalerb range comprises a bench, chair and table. To pre-order the Dalcapon oak or Fortingall oak sets, contact Angus Ross Furniture directly.
