Handmade tables built to last

A table for the vagabonds, dreamers and makers. This is how Feist Forest describe their own product. Based in Devon, UK, the company makes handcrafted tables with a hope that they will bring creative minds and ideas together.

We had a conversation with Vicki Turner, the founder, designer, and wood finisher at Feist Forest, about her craft, her love for nature, and how a seemingly simple table can bring people together.

It all started when I was young and living in the countryside, Vicki starts describing her fascination with nature and forests. I’ve always found the natural world a magical and inspiring place, there’s much to learn and I’m blown away each day by something new.

Throughout her career, Vicki has explored a lot of places and a lot of creative fields as well, until she came back to Devon with an idea to find some like-minded people to collaborate with and build life-long tables. After all, the table is what gathers many curious people together to share stories, to build, and to create.

Luckily, I found like-minded folk through recommendations by people I have met or worked with over the years, Vicki shares. Mike Wood, our wood-turner, recommended Ben, our furniture maker. Which is ideal as they work close to one another, so it makes it far easier to collaborate.

Although the team members of Feist Forest work in different locations, they share the same ideas, and sustainability, or working responsibly, are very important ones. I’m an idealist I guess, admits Vicki. I believe working sustainably is an opportunity to fix things, to learn and adapt.

We simply make tables, we’re not changing the world, but it’s a positive start, made in the UK, using sustainable ash, designed and built to last. Yet what I get really excited about is that it’s where others go to focus and do good work.

This is another reason why Feist Forest stands out from other companies that make tables – Feist Forest actively encourages their customers to share their projects with them. On their blog, they look forward to sharing the stories and work from people who’ve bought a Feist Forest table.

Vicki tells us a couple of her favourite stories. I originally designed the table with fellow creatives in mind, yet it’s been interesting that people have commissioned dining tables, one was recently purchased near Christmas and they were excited to get the whole family around it. This makes me happy.

Another one is Charlott, a gardener and designer. She squeezed her table into a small barn at the bottom of the garden. She’s on a mission to become self sufficient and writes a great blog sharing her adventures in doing so.

Vicki is still fascinated with how a humble table can naturally bring people together, and she hopes to perfect this craft over the years. However, she has more plans in mind. I wish to experiment and collaborate with friends and other makers on small batch products, shares Vicki. And I’m currently developing a second piece of furniture that will partner with the table, which I’m really excited about!

It’s always charming when people have a lot of ideas, especially when those ideas involve sustainability and social responsibility. Captivated by Vicki’s enthusiasm, I ask what keeps her inspired. Good people and this insane big blue planet I’ve been lucky to land on, she answers.