How many miles has the wood in your table travelled?
Much of the wood used in furniture travels huge distances before it reaches your home. Choosing UK grown timber is one small but meaningful way to reduce that journey.
The first part of the oak tree’s journey, from the USA to China.
When we think about buying a dining table, we usually think about the style, the size, and whether it will suit the room. But there is another question worth asking:
How far has the wood in your table travelled before it reaches your home?
I had an interesting conversation a while back with a potential client about a dining table for their luxury rental. The table they had bought had been damaged and they were looking for a replacement. They sent me a photo of the table, and explained where they had bought it.
I was curious about the company and did some looking into how they made their furniture. What struck me was not just how it looked. It was the journey it had taken.
The table had travelled around the world. The oak in their tables was grown in the America, shipped to China where it was processed into furniture boards, and then made into tables in factories, then finally it was sent to the UK to be sold into British homes.
The second part of the journey from China to the UK
By the time it reached their kitchen, the wood had travelled a remarkable distance.
Approximate distance travelled.
America to China - 10,000 nautical miles
China to UK - 11,000 nautical miles
Total - 21,000 nautical miles
This is an extraordinary journey for a piece of furniture that may end up sitting quietly in the middle of a family home.
Yes, the table may have looked stylish.
Yes, the price may have seemed competitive.
But it raises an important question:
What is the true cost of a table that has travelled so far?
A different way of making furniture.
A Nuthatch table travelled just 89 miles.
In comparison, the wood for one of our recent projects travelled just 89 miles in total.
Approximate distance travelled
Feckenham to Whitney saw mill - 59miles
Whitney saw mill to Nuthatch Creation - 30 miles
Total – 89 miles
That is a very different story.
Instead of timber crossing oceans and continents, it came from much closer to home. The journey was shorter, simpler, and far more connected to the landscape it came from.
Restoring our forests and reducing carbon emissions are part of a complex global problem, in our own small way, we aim to be part of the solution.
Why it matters
The global movement of timber is part of a much bigger and more complex story about carbon, consumption and the health of our forests.
We are not pretending that one table changes everything.
But we do believe that small choices matter.
Choosing UK-grown timber means choosing wood with a shorter journey behind it. It means supporting local supply chains. And it means knowing more about where your furniture came from, rather than buying something made from timber with an unknown story.
For us, that matters
Know the story of your wood
At Nuthatch Creations, we believe furniture should feel connected - to the home it lives in, to the people who use it, and to the landscape the timber came from.
Because a table is never just a table.
It is part of a story.
And we think that story should begin as close to home as possible.