Author Archive

How to make a horn shoehorn

An appreciation of the skill involved in making a shoehorn, by Chris Mason, Factory Manager at Abbeyhorn.

Merchant-and-Makers-Making-a-Shoehorn-by-Abbeyhorn-1-Heating-with-Flame

Shoehorns are an invaluable spoon-shaped tool for putting on leather shoes without eroding the structure of the heel of the shoe as well as fraying the edge, and given the expense of a…

Read More

Abbeyhorn & the craft of horn working

Interview with Paul Cleasby, owner of Abbeyhorn; making and trading horn products since the 18th Century.

Merchant-and-Makers-Interview-with-Abbeyhorn-owner-Paul-Cleasby-1-Polishing-Stage

Working with horn, one of the earliest raw materials crafted by man, is almost as old as Lakeland’s high hills, which are incidentally home to Abbeyhorn, the last remaining horn works in the…

Read More

The craft of Japanese wooden boatbuilding

Continuing the craft of Japanese boatbuilding - Q&A with boatbuilder, writer & researcher, Douglas Brooks.

A very small sabani a type of semi-dugout once used for fishing in Okinawa. Photo by Mr. Hiroyuki Asato.

Boatbuilder first, then writer & researcher is how Douglas Brooks describes himself in a self-effacing modest kind of way, however, his commitment to the curation and continuation of the ancient but fast-disappearing craft…

Read More

Interview with Svenskt Tenn

Exploring the cultural & creative philosophy of the iconic Swedish design store.

Image © Svenskt Tenn.

Concepts that can often be thought of as paradoxical – such as historic & contemporary, modernism & heritage, craft & commerciality, functionality & elegance, capitalist & charitable – come together seamlessly within the…

Read More

Newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about new posts and articles.

Skip and close