Woodworking is my profession, but my story with wood didn’t start with a dream of becoming a craftsman. It has always been part of my working life, and in 2020 I decided to take it in a different direction and build something of my own.

Before starting WoodenRusticCraft, I spent around 17 years working in warehouses, mainly as a forklift and reach truck operator. It may seem a long way from making wooden lamps and keepsake boxes, but those years taught me patience, precision and the importance of doing a job properly.

Today, I work with wood in a very different way. I design and make each piece myself, from selecting and preparing the wood to finishing, photographing and carefully packing every order.

Why rustic?

The rustic style is something that has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

I come from a small town in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains in Poland, where I grew up surrounded by a simple, traditional, rural way of life. Wooden houses, old furniture, natural materials and the kind of practical, handmade things that were simply part of everyday life.

I think that stayed with me.

That is probably why I’m naturally drawn to wood with character rather than wood that looks perfectly uniform. I like visible grain, natural colours, knots, small imperfections and the feeling that something has been made by hand.

What I enjoy making

Although I make different wooden pieces, two of my favourite things to create are wooden lamps and keepsake boxes.

I like lamps because wood, light and shadow can completely change the atmosphere of a room. And I have a particular soft spot for keepsake boxes — simple objects made to hold things that mean something to someone.

For me, that is what handmade is really about.

It doesn't have to be perfectly identical to something made by a machine. It should feel real, useful and made with care.

Made by one person

There is no big production line behind WoodenRusticCraft.

It’s just me, my tools and the wood.

I choose the materials, make the products, take the photographs, write the listings and pack the orders myself.

I’m based in Northampton, England, and since 2020 I’ve been building WoodenRusticCraft one piece at a time.

Thanks for stopping by and getting to know a little bit about the person behind the products.

I hope you find something here that feels like it belongs in your home.