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The Bobbin Trend

Revel in the rich history of bobbin furniture as we explore the origins of this ornate woodwork technique. From ancient Roman artefacts to elaborate centrepieces for the English monarchy, discover what makes the centuries-old bobbin style so timeless.

How is bobbin furniture made?

Bobbin turned furniture, also known as spool furniture, is made using a lathe; a blade set on a rotating axis that turns continuously while the wood is pressed into it to create distinct indentations and markings.

Although enjoying a revival, this wood-turning technique certainly isn’t new. Archaeologists have excavated handmade wooden bowls and cups from shipwrecks and burial sites as early as 500 AD, while illustrations dating back even further have been found on Egyptian monuments and Roman artefacts.

A stylish kitchen corner featuring a marble-topped island with black metal mesh storage baskets filled with fresh vegetables. A wooden barstool with a turned-leg design and a cushioned beige seat sits beside it.A stylish kitchen corner featuring a marble-topped island with black metal mesh storage baskets filled with fresh vegetables. A wooden barstool with a turned-leg design and a cushioned beige seat sits beside it.
Bobbin Natural Linen Bar Stool
A close-up of a handcrafted wooden stool featuring a beige upholstered cushion with a textured linen fabric.A close-up of a handcrafted wooden stool featuring a beige upholstered cushion with a textured linen fabric.
Intricate details of the bobbin natural linen bar stool.
A large rustic dining table expertly crafted from recycled elm and pine wood, and fitted with contrasting black carved legs. Its top is finished in a clear wax to prevent spills and stains. A large rustic dining table expertly crafted from recycled elm and pine wood, and fitted with contrasting black carved legs. Its top is finished in a clear wax to prevent spills and stains.
Porter 10 Seater Dining Table
A classic country farmhouse table with a natural wood top and carved turned legs complete with a washed black finish. Entertain the whole family and a few friends with this large rustic kitchen table.A classic country farmhouse table with a natural wood top and carved turned legs complete with a washed black finish. Entertain the whole family and a few friends with this large rustic kitchen table.
Lincoln 8 Seater Dining Table

A Royal Welcome

When King James I ascended the throne in 1603, it marked the end of the Elizabethan era and the dawn of a united England and Scotland. With renewed interest in the monarchy, opulence and grandeur was ushered into the homes of the upper classes.

Furniture was designed to impress visitors and became increasingly oversized and decorative. Long dining tables rose in popularity to accommodate more guests for feast-like dining while tabletops became wider, often including extensions and folding leaves to create yet more space. Dining furniture was adorned with roughly carved acorn and bulb-like shapes, especially on the legs.

Seen at all angles

With such large and interchangeable dining tables, seating needed to become more lightweight and moveable. The Farthingale chair was designed specifically for women, featuring a low back and no arms to allow space for the wide-skirted fashions of the time and be light enough to be able to lift and move.

It also meant that chairs were designed to be more ornate all round as they would be viewed from every angle. Chair designs became more decorative, with attractive ornamental backs and bulb-shaped legs that matched the grandeur of the dining tables.

A wooden dining chair with a natural finish and a beige linen upholstered seat. The backrest features an elegant bobbin-style spindle design, adding a decorative touch. A wooden dining chair with a natural finish and a beige linen upholstered seat. The backrest features an elegant bobbin-style spindle design, adding a decorative touch.
Abacus Linen Dining Chair
A wooden dining chair with a natural finish and a beige linen upholstered seat. The backrest features an elegant bobbin-style spindle design, adding a decorative touch. A wooden dining chair with a natural finish and a beige linen upholstered seat. The backrest features an elegant bobbin-style spindle design, adding a decorative touch.
Close-up details of the Abacus Linen Dining Chair
With a base crafted and carved from solid mango wood, the slender Emilia table lamp is a stylish accessory which will brighten any corner of your home. Match with a plain lamp shade for a classic look. With a base crafted and carved from solid mango wood, the slender Emilia table lamp is a stylish accessory which will brighten any corner of your home. Match with a plain lamp shade for a classic look.
Emilia Table Lamp
This petite chest of drawers is hand finished with carved mango wood drawers in a soft French grey, with decorative brass handles and three spacious drawers.This petite chest of drawers is hand finished with carved mango wood drawers in a soft French grey, with decorative brass handles and three spacious drawers.
Florence Small Chest of Drawers

The Italian Influence 

In an effort to make pieces more decorative, English furniture-makers perfected the curling Italianate designs and classical motifs brought over by Flemish carvers during the Renaissance of Elizabeth I’s reign. Wood-turning became increasingly experimental, challenging the makers and materials to produce spiralling forms on legs, scrolling arms as well as botanical and marine scenes carved into chests and cabinetry.

Local Produce

Jacobean furniture championed locally sourced English woods like pine, oak and mahogany that were far more readily available than exotic materials like mother of pearl and lacquered Asian woods that had to be imported in. The woods used lended well to the heavy, solid silhouettes and hand-carved shapes that were so sought after and gave pieces a distinctly English feel that can still be seen in modern interpretations.

Style this chest of drawers with classic English pieces like a wrought iron bed and fresh bedlinen in a rustic cottage bedroom to compliment the ornate floral details and turned legs of this six-drawer firwood storage chest.Style this chest of drawers with classic English pieces like a wrought iron bed and fresh bedlinen in a rustic cottage bedroom to compliment the ornate floral details and turned legs of this six-drawer firwood storage chest.
Enid Chest of Drawers
Crafted from reclaimed pine wood, our pioneer inspired dining table features a drum style tabletop sat upon a triangular base with three ornately scrolled feet.Crafted from reclaimed pine wood, our pioneer inspired dining table features a drum style tabletop sat upon a triangular base with three ornately scrolled feet.
Pioneer 4 Seater Reclaimed Pine Dining Table
Crafted using traditional kilim weaving techniques, these large square cushions will add a gentle touch of pattern to your sitting room or bedroom.Crafted using traditional kilim weaving techniques, these large square cushions will add a gentle touch of pattern to your sitting room or bedroom.
Large Kilim Cushions
Upholstered using the Chindi technique of weaving, where pieces of recycled fabric are braided together, and complete with scrolling arms and tapered wooden legs. This colourful handmade chair lends a regal air to your sitting room.Upholstered using the Chindi technique of weaving, where pieces of recycled fabric are braided together, and complete with scrolling arms and tapered wooden legs. This colourful handmade chair lends a regal air to your sitting room.
Gaia Chindi Armchair

New Discoveries

As England expanded its trade reach throughout the 17th century, furniture became interlaced with techniques and materials discovered in new lands. ‘Turkey work’, a knotted woollen technique inspired by the imported Persian and Turkish carpets and kilim rugs, was introduced to upholster seating and chair backs to soften the heavy perpendicular shapes and complement the richly carved woodwork.

The new Bobbin look

Towards the end of the 17th century, the bobbin trend fell out of favour. It wasn’t until the arts and crafts movement of the 1900s, which celebrated traditionally crafted pieces, that bobbin-style furniture was rediscovered and reproduced. In the wake of the industrial revolution, furniture was pushed into mass production with the ornate designs now easily achievable with steam-powered machinery instead of the previously passed down skills from master to apprentice. While the handmade aspect of bobbin furniture dwindled, the ease of production meant a vast array of new styles, colours and materials could be used to create the same effect.

Featuring a stylish bobbin design and a warm golden-brown finish, this tripod wooden table lamp adds a modern touch to your home. Featuring a stylish bobbin design and a warm golden-brown finish, this tripod wooden table lamp adds a modern touch to your home.
Bobbin Tripod Wooden Table Lamp
"A set of five colorful glass candle holders with a bubble design, each holding a lit tapered candle in various shades of pink, green, blue, and yellow. "A set of five colorful glass candle holders with a bubble design, each holding a lit tapered candle in various shades of pink, green, blue, and yellow.
Bubble Candle Holders

Our own bobbin furniture collection is lovingly handmade from ash wood by talented artisans to recapture the ancient craft of wood-turning and upholstered with natural linen in the spirit of a Jacobean antique. But our range of bobbin-inspired homeware transcends furniture and can be found in lighting, glassware and beyond, so this timeless design can be enjoyed anywhere in your home.