A 140-year-old Canterbury elm, felled by a northwest storm three years ago, will be used to create 12 original pieces of furniture for a “One Tree” exhibition.

The furniture is made by David Laird of Amberley, a chair maker who specialises in the handcrafting of Windsor chairs and other heirloom furniture.

The exhibition will take place from 25 January to 6 March 2025 at the Rangiora Chamber Gallery.

David was fascinated by the precision required to become a chairmaker, a term that originated in the 17th century to distinguish the unique skills of chair frame building from other woodwork.

His passion for woodworking has been around since his childhood.

“I was fortunate to learn from a young age the joy of working with my hands and the pursuit of perfection. I was convinced that you have to perform each task with all your skills to create the best object you can make.”

He believes that sustainability should be synonymous with good design, and all the furniture he makes is made from reclaimed wood sourced from fallen or discarded trees.

“They are a gift from the past.

“Solid wood furniture is timeless, robust and built to last forever, even for centuries,” says David.

The use of reclaimed wood for furniture also makes sense in other respects.

“Because trees produce oxygen, they also sequester carbon. The wood will sequester the carbon contained in the heartwood until the wood rots or is burned,” he says.

Some of the wood he sources from obsolete or removed trees has links to early settlers.

“After the land was cleared, the settlers planted trees, some of which were native to their area and were useful.

“I was fortunate to work with some of these woods, including elm, ash, walnut and oak, which date back to the late 19th century.

“It is a real privilege to work with wood that was planted by people who knew they would never benefit from the planting in their lifetime.”

Some of the furniture David makes ends up back on the property where it was grown, and that is gratifying.

“As a craftsman, you put energy and thought into these handcrafted pieces.”

It takes all your skills to turn the raw wood into an object that means something to someone. “When these objects have meaning, they are no longer just furniture, they are also memories.”

By Shelley Topp