Artisans of Dartmoor - Book - Page 97
THE WOODWORKER
Melding traditional woodworking skills with a contemporary aesthetic,
Ambrose Vevers crafts elegant furniture and kitchen accessories
T
here’s no doubt that Ambrose Vevers was
something of a peculiarity among his
classmates when he was studying design at Falmouth
University. While everyone else was producing
sleek shiny objects using high technology and 3D
printing, he was hand-crafting one-off pieces from
natural materials. “I wanted to make things that
were quietly beautiful with an authentic human
touch,” he says. “Pieces that celebrated the essential
humanity of craft with all its wonderful quirks.
It was the complete opposite to what everyone
else was doing.”
Being different paid off. Having returned
to his family home, just outside Ashburton,
Ambrose is now a full-time woodworker, crafting
high-end, contemporary furniture and kitchen
accessories, as well as running a busy programme of
furniture-making courses from his hilltop barn.
One of the things that sets Ambrose’s pieces
apart, is that they show the marks of his making
processes – a practice that aligns with the Japanese
aesthetic known as wabi-sabi, which celebrates the
beauty of imperfection. Look closely at any of the
stools, chopping boards or plates in his collection,
and amid the sinuous contours of wood grain and
sculpted, polished surfaces, you’ll spot the little
indents and grooves left by his hand tools. Each
piece celebrates both the beauty of the wood and
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