How Tom Heywood creates crafted bespoke furniture and sculptures in Cornwall

Based in Penzance, Cornwall, Tom Heywood designs and creates unique furniture, sculpture and interiors. From a young age Tom has had an interest in creative processes – designing and making three dimensional forms that undergo an extensive thought-process. Using a combination of traditional and contemporary woodworking techniques Tom creates unique, bespoke sculptural pieces inspired by local landscape and nature.

Here we chat with Tom about his craft and working with wood in unusual ways…

Can you tell us your backstory? When and how did you get into furniture and sculpture design?

My love for furniture and sculpture first came about when I was growing up. Art and product design were among my favourite subjects in school. I took a particular interest in product design because I loved making free dimensional objects from different materials.

When I left school, I had various options to further study as I had a lot of interests, on selection, I chose a direction within product design in particular furniture making.

While at college, I was tutored by Richard Buckingham who passed on his extensive knowledge of creating traditional furniture. After years of practice, my work has evolved to blend sculpture and furniture together.

What kind of technique do you use in woodworking?

My work represents many different techniques, in recent times I have frequently used steam bending techniques to create some of the curved forms as well as a lot of carving which helps me create three dimensional forms.

How important is sustainability to your brand and the products you make?

Sustainability is the single most important thing to my small business, I only work with trees that have fallen or have had to be felled for a reason. If I ever buy planed timber or timber sheets, I only purchase FSC graded timbers as then I know it’s been responsibly sourced from sustainable woodlands. My waste scraps of timber are used by gardeners, model makers, artists or burned for heating in my workshop. I also grow British hardwood saplings such as Oak, Ash, Elm, chestnut etc, which I donate to planting charities or individuals.

Take us through the design process and how you work with materials.

Predominantly most of my designs start with a sketch, before sourcing the correct materials and making the piece using a method that can work for the overall process.

When it comes to carving, it’s sometimes not possible to work directly off a sketch, the timber can dictate how the piece is formed. For example, the wood might have instability within its grain that you simply cannot see when it is in its raw form as a tree stump.

What are some of the plans for near future…

My plans are to continue what I started and grow organically keeping my work very low scale, maintaining the importance of loving what I do. Going forward, I have big plans to convert a couple of beautiful old chapels into my workshop and gallery space. In terms of my work… I want to grow my reputation organically and inspire others into my vision.

For more information or request a bespoke commission please visit tomheywoodbespoke.com.

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