For hundreds of years, resourceful Orcadian crofters (cottage dwellers) have been making simple, functional chairs from natural materials found on the Scottish island. 'These chairs go back generations - nobody is sure when the first ones were made,' says Jackie Miller, Orkney chair maker at Scapa Crafts. 'In the old days, people just used the materials that they had to hand.'
A lack of natural woodland in Orkney meant people gathered driftwood from the beach for chair making. ‘They were growing oats to feed their cattle, so they put the two together and used the oat straw to make thermal chair backs,’ explains Jackie. ‘Most people lived in simple croft houses with peat fires, so these cosy chairs kept the heat in and the cold draughts out.’
Because they were…
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Reclaim (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 96 - December 2024