Cask and Still Magazine | 43
CRAFT Barrels
of
Robbie Reid is creating rocking chairs and other furniture out of old whisky barrels
A
s a scion of the Whytock and Reid dynasty, the famous cabinet makers of Edinburgh, Robbie Reid is the sixth generation of his family to be involved
in the furniture industry. ‘I would say furniture is in my blood,’ he says. ‘I was brought up in a house full of fine furniture.’ The father-of-one continues to make bespoke
furniture, but when the recession hit he had to think out of the box to keep his East Lothian business going. Fortunately, he had a few oak whisky barrels
hanging around the yard and an eye for clever design. He noticed the curves are not only perfect for a comfortable seat, but the rockers on a chair. As an extra bonus, the opening in the barrel is the right size for a glass of whisky. Thus the Whisky Barrel Rocker was born. ‘Possibly the most attractive thing about the
rockers is keeping the curve,’ says Robbie. ‘It is attractive to the eye, rather like the curves of a woman.’ The rustic look of the furniture and warm
tones of the oak wood, finished in boiled linseed oil, also appeal. Robbie, 42, makes stools and tables out of
whisky barrels, but the rockers are the most popular design. ‘I have delivered them to stately homes and council houses,’ he says. The rockers have been developed over the
years so they can be dismantled and stored in the shed, and should last for decades. Now the idea is to market whisky barrel
furniture abroad, with a couple of rockers already going to India. Robbie admits the garden furniture industry
is extremely competitive, but is determined to keep manufacturing in Scotland. He believes the unique design – not to mention the link with Scotland and the whisky industry – could be popular around the world. ‘You are producing something that is well
designed from recycled materials that will last a long time for a relatively inexpensive price,’ he says. ‘Most of all, it is completely unique. It is my baby. No one else has done it.’
For more information about Robbie’s work, visit
www.whiskybarrelrockers.co.uk
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