Traditional Irish Hedge Chair, (Curved Legs) locally grown ash, (Top) locally grown olive ash, finished with a blend of natural oils and waxes.

Approximate Size : 47cm x 40cm x 76cm

A Hedge Chair is a traditional piece of Irish furniture produced by what is known as a Hedge Carpenter, these carpenters of old often sourced their raw materials from the hedgerow, looking for different shaped branches to suit the task at hand. Hedge carpenters finished work was often in a vernacular style due to the way materials were sourced with an emphasis on using what was close to hand.

It is said that the chair was originally derived from the stool, this is most evident in the basic form of an Irish hedge chair, well suited to a harsh rural environment.

About the maker: 

Stephen Ryan is a woodworker based in Lisburn, Co. Antrim. Green woodwork is an ancient woodland craft that uses freshly cut timber, which allows the wood to be shaped easily by hand tools into household items such as furniture and kitchen-ware.Woodland crafts also have a foundation of environmental sustainability, minimising impact on the environment via locally sourced coppice materials and use of hand tools, rather than imported timbers electrical equipment.