About Carbon

Carbon is a business partnership that was begun 5 years ago by Kieran Darcy and Denise Lancaster. Working as artists and framers we were dissatisfied and bored with the range of mouldings available for ourselves and our customers. We decided to design and make our own frames from reclaimed timber.

This project has worked really well, many customers will always ask for the reclaimed frames largely because of the look and feel of the frame, although we are increasingly aware of environmental issues and are pleased to be making a difference.

On our visits to salvage yards we were further inspired to start making simple pieces of furniture for ourselves from unique and beautiful reclaimed timber.

Our approach to reclaiming timber is to leave the unique qualities of the wood intact. We do not want to produce a reclaimed standardised product with a clean new finish. We enhance and enjoy the worn nature of the wood, emphasising the texture and character of the raw material. The look is warm, fun and individual.

Materials for our tables are sourced as "found objects" in salvage yards and old buildings. We choose to respect the character of the pieces chosen for their sculptural qualities and design the look of the piece as the materials demand. In this way a table can look quite "animated" - it has a life of its own. The integrity, heritage, age and history is not shaved away.

"Trends are no longer as important to interior design as they once were. Things seem to run in cycles. Pattern is replaced by texture. Colour gives way to material; wood, concrete or stone. Paint magic has become patina magic - allowing the layers of the past to show through. Colour is subdued by neutrals until we get bored, and long once more for pattern or definition - for something eccentric individual and fun. The designer look is difficult to pull off, and no longer fashionable as the quirky retro, or the naive, where the senses and emotions are engaged."
The Way We Live: Alfresco by Stafford Cliff. 2005

"It is estimated that the UK needs to reduce wood consumption by 73% by 2050 if it is to help reach sustainability. So it is up to us to use reclaimed and salvaged wood wherever possible."
A Good Life; The Guide to Ethical Living by Leo Hickman. 2005