In conversation with
Nigel Briggs, Windsor Chairmaker
Recently Natasha had the privilege of going to chat with and capture the work of someone we’ve admired and worked with a lot over the last few years, Nigel Briggs. His work is stunning, he cares deeply about the chairs he creates and the tools and wood he uses to make them, it permeates every part of his craft. As talented as he is humble, Nigel is a truly gifted artisan and we wanted to take the opportunity to share his work and to show you the beautiful space he spends most of his working hours in, his home workshop. Here’s what he shares about himself, his chairs and his craft:
What initially got you into woodwork?
I’m sure my Grandfather’s woodshed has something to do with it. I don’t really remember making anything in his shed, but as a 7 or 8 year old the smell of the the wood and the wood shavings definitely drew me in that direction. Maybe the bigger influence was my woodwork teacher at secondary school. He was passionate about us making the things we loved so I made my first electric guitar at 15 in his class. I don't remember it being very good, but it did lead me to train as a violin maker many years later.
We know you make all of your chairs from hand, why do you use hand tools?
I often start a chair with a log cut down in the forest. I’ll split the log with wedges trying to keep the grain as straight as possible. This keeps the inherent strength in the wood and allows you to build chairs that are both delicate and strong. For me personally using hand tools in the process gives me a feedback from the wood that you just can’t get when using a machine. Using a sharp hand tool is truly a joy, and with a bit of practice reaching for a hand tool can also be as quick as using a power tool. I’m not saying I don’t use power tools, I do, but personally there just isn’t the same fulfilment. I also love the connection with the past. I have some tools with other makers names stamp on the handles who are no longer with us and I’m sure those tools will continue to serve the next few generations to come.
We know sustainability is important to you, tell us about where your materials come from and how your work is eco-friendly.
We are fortunate to live in a county rich with some amazing ‘ring porous hardwoods’. Ash, cherry, sweet chestnut, Oak, elm are all great woods to make chairs from. As I’ve already mentioned, I often like to build chairs from ‘green wood’ (freshly felled) or ‘air dried’ boards. Both types aren’t readily available at your local wood yard, but if you persevere they are available from nearby saw mills and managed forests. Some of these woods are absolutely stunning and yet grown a short drive form my workshop. I see it as the best of both worlds. Not only is it a responsible thing to do in the world we live in, but I will often know whereabouts the tree grew that I build the chair(s) from.
Which design of yours, or design you make, is your favourite and why?
The continuous arm chair is a classic and one of my favourites. It’s quite a traditional design, but with a few tweaks can be made to fit into any modern decor. Most Windsor chairs were originally painted, mainly to protect them for outdoor use, but also to unify the design as multiple types of woods would have been used in the construction. Yew for the bent parts, Elm for the seat, Ash for the legs and spindles etc, painting the chair brought everything together giving a cleaner line. Today most people like to see the natural wood colour, but I personally still love a nicely painted chair.
What's coming up for you this year? Have you any exciting projects you'd like to tell us about?
Having spent a few years now mainly adapting traditional Windsor chair designs, I feel ready to take on designing my own chair range. I’ve been more and more drawn to the mid century danish designers for a while now and would love to combine some of their ideas and techniques into my own chair range. At the moment though I’m part way through building my first ’LowBow’ Windsor rocking chair which I’m excited to see how it all comes together.
