The Spirit of the Hebrides Upholstery

About

The infamous icons of the Hebrides inspired the design and creation of our handmade chair from a whisky barrel. This chair is a celebration of the most famed of these icons. The staves at the back of the chair represent the mythical and majestic Neolithic Callanish stones. A remnant of prehistoric religious activity or an astronomical observatory that does not cease to inspire and fascinate visitors today. The seat is imprinted with the mysterious archaeological treasures of the famed Lewis chessmen which were uncovered on the sands of Ùig beach on the Isle of Lewis (Eilean Leòdhais) in 1831. They were believed to have travelled across the seas from Norway in the early 13th century. The glass rest is turned from wood sourced in the Stornoway Castle grounds. These outstanding woodlands contain a varied and rich collection of trees, a rarity on the island. The whole chair is covered in the world-renowned Harris Tweed and fashioned into a kilt at the front. A cloth whose smell so distinct transports me back to my youth where I made the bobbins in my father’s loom shed where he created the big tweed 'an clò-mòr'. A cloth whose rich history is woven into the landscape, its heritage, and a people`s struggle.

The first chair we made won an award and was sourced from the Abhainn Dearg whisky distillery in Ùig. Pushing the kilt front aside a cupboard can be discovered which you can use as a drinks cabinet or other storage. All these inspirational elements both ancient, historical, and new are a celebration of the Spirit of the Hebrides, its icons, its history, and its people.