FINN KOEFOED-NIELSEN has a history with trees. He grew up in made entirely of wood. After some the New Forest in a family cottage years in London spent maintaining and repairing, among other things, the Palace of Westminster and some very expensive houses, he set about creating his dream career working with wood. What's more, he was inspired to embark on this new branch of carpentry after reading an issue of COUNTRY LIFE.
I'd been looking for ages for something to do with wood that I would enjoy and that might stand a chance of paying the bills,' he admits over a mug of tea in the kitchen of his stableyard home in sleepy Chilton, Buckinghamshire.
'And then I saw the article in COUNTRY LIFE about Jim Steele, the national treasure.'
National treasure, indeed. Mr Steele made chairs for decades and his work is still sought after worldwide, even now he is retired. He enjoys keeping his eye in, mind you, and he's by no means idle: he's off to Ireland with his wife, Val, at the weekend.
Today, he is here with his protégé to talk about all things chairs-especially Windsor chairs. A sidetrack discussion begins about the minutiae of making Windsor chairs and, for a moment, the pair are lost in another world: one with its own obscure language, characters and pitfalls. They stop to draw breath and Mr Koefoed-Nielsen looks apologetic. 'We can go on like this for hours,' he laughs.
It's fair to say they are obsessed. When we repair to a nearby hostelry for lunch, they waste no time in turning every interesting chair in the saloon upside down, peering at each in minute detail. The barmaid looks on, baffled.
この記事は Country Life UK の September 04, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Country Life UK の September 04, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
