This bench was made for an avid reader — a fifth wedding anniversary gift from a husband to his wife, built around her own little library. We carved the backrest as a shelf of books in solid oak: a leaning stack, a rolled scroll, and an open book at the centre inviting you to read on. Along the spines we lettered some of her best-loved authors, from Jane Austen and Gabriel García Márquez to J.K. Rowling and Richard Osman.
A songbird perches on one post and a carved heart sits opposite, lettered with the couple's names and the years they've shared. We kept the whole piece in natural oak tones rather than paint, with softly rounded corners — partly for the look, partly because there's a toddler in the family. It's a generous two-seater.
Every bench like this is designed from scratch around the person it's for — their books, their words, the details that make them smile. If you'd like a hand-carved book lover's bench of your own, whether as an anniversary gift or just because, we'd love to make one for you.
Finish
This piece is supplied unvarnished as standard. Left natural, solid oak slowly weathers to a soft, silvery-grey — completely normal for outdoor timber, a graceful way for a piece to age, and with no maintenance needed. If you’d prefer to bring out the grain and warm, honeyed tones, choose the varnished option (+£50) and we’ll hand-apply three coats of Epifanes, a premium marine yacht varnish.
More about the two finishes
Outdoor furniture takes a real beating from sun and weather. Left natural, an unvarnished piece simply silvers over time and asks nothing of you. A varnished piece keeps its rich sheen for a couple of years; after that the varnish may begin to flake or patch, at which point you can simply re-coat it, or let it weather back to that natural silvery-grey. Either way, your oak is fine.
