About Riven Oak Design
Run by Jack Ritson, Riven Oak Design is based in Westonbirt Arboretum in the Cotswolds.
I create unusual and exciting bespoke oak products, crafted using traditional methods and tools.
All wood I use is gathered from well-managed woodland in the Arboretum. The ongoing hazel coppice restoration there means a sustainable number of oak trees are being felled to allow light in so the understory of hazel can grow.
Hazel coppice is a fantastically diverse habitat. We cut the coppice on a seven year cycle and each age of coppice benefits different flora and fauna be it wildflowers, insects, birds or mammals.
It’s the oak from this project that I make into beautiful cleft pieces such as swing seats, rose arches, garden structures, planters, gates, fences, benches or anything else that I or a customer can dream up.
I love making new pieces that are a bit different, so if you have an idea for something you want in your home or garden then please do get in touch.
What is riven oak?
Wood that has been riven or cleft has been split along the grain, which has a number of benefits.
Riven wood is stronger than sawn wood of a similar size because far fewer strands of grain have been severed along its length.
That means any curves and wiggles from when the tree grew remain intact, producing beautiful natural curves in the final products.
