Classic rock

Independent Woodworks is a specalist woodwork shop in Kwazulu-Natal. Their studio offers bespoke once-off pieces of furniture, while the manufacturing side offers fine specialist joinery, furniture, mouldings, staircases, solid wood kitchens and architectural features. 

“Very little of what we buy today has any connection with the person or persons who made it”, says Brendan Murray from Independent Woodworks. “It’s a relationship we’ve lost: our possessions might be branded, but they don’t bear a maker’s name. A lot of furniture made today is marketed as handmade, yet the timbers show no subtle signs of ever having had a sharp hand tool anywhere near it, finished to perfection they have no soul. Let alone any chance of being loved and cherished by a future generation. For a piece of furniture to have a history it must first have a story, that story should start with a respect of material, craft and a have a noticeable pleasure in detail. It should be a privilege to make and to own, the relationship between material, maker and owner is the start of the journey.”

This is the ethos that sets Independent Woodworks apart. At the moment we’re in love with their rocking chair (pictured above). It’s rare to find such a high degree of concerted craftsmanship. Each piece is hand made, and takes between 130 and 150 hours to complete a single piece. It’s the type of chair you buy knowing it will be passed on through several generations.

According to Brendan, a rocking chair brings quiet rhythm to one’s life. “Each chair has its own rhythm each different to the next one. My aim is for each chair’s character to reflect not only that of the timber, but that of the makers and the owners too. A chair like this doesn’t just happen between the hours of 7am and 4pm – it needs to be gently assembled joint by joint. It is as much about what is there as what isn’t, that brings a chair like this to life. If it’s your wish to own a chair like this, to start a story and begin a journey, then it’s mine to make it for you.”

Personally, it makes me want to retire and spend my days on the stoep, endlessly retelling the mythology of my youth to anybody who’ll listen.

For more information check out www.iwood.co.za