The Bobbin Trend

WHAT IS BOBBIN FURNITURE?

Bobbin furniture, also known as spool furniture, gets its name from having legs and other parts lathe-turned to ornamental shapes. Bobbin furniture's intricate shapes can elevate interiors from ordinary to extraordinary. These designs allow homeowners to inject subtle yet powerful stylish statements around their homes – and these baroque furnishings are as elegant as ever before. 

HOW IS BOBBIN FURNITURE MADE?

Bobbin furniture is made using a lathe; a blade set on a rotating axis that turns continuously while the wood is pressed into it to create distinct indentations and markings.

Although enjoying a revival, this wood-turning technique certainly isn’t new. Archaeologists have excavated handmade wooden bowls and cups from shipwrecks and burial sites as early as 500 AD, while illustrations dating back even further have been found on Egyptian monuments and Roman artefacts. Many depict a bow lathe; where string is tied around the end of the wood and drawn back and forth while a handheld blade cuts into it, almost like a reverse saw.

Early lathe workers would have had to use their bare feet to hold the cutting tools to free up their arms for the sawing motion. By the 17th century however, a hand crank was added so that an apprentice could rotate the wood while the master turner continued to carve. It eliminated the tiring sawing motion which meant more fluid and elaborate designs emerged during this era.

Our Bobbin range of furniture can be purchased by clicking SHOP FURNITURE