Ember gets a glow from woodcraft

A FINE layer of sawdust covers every surface of Ember Hall's workplace. The 28-year-old sits adjacent to a pile of lovingly stacked wood including oak, elm, pitch pine, ash and sycamore.

While the majority of us work away at desks in air conditioned offices, Ember, from Bonnyrigg, is pursuing her passion full-time - making furniture out of wood.

Whether wood chose her or she chose wood she doesn't know. "With a name like Ember it's hard to tell for sure," she smiles, "although my parents insist my name is taken from the month of my birth, December."

But while her friends were playing with dolls and make-up, Ember was climbing trees and making "anything and everything out of wood". She also enjoyed crafts and art and design and so when she left school she decided to do an HND in furniture craftsmanship at Fife College. At 21 she was a fully fledged furniture designer.

Ember is quick to dismiss suggestions that handcrafted furniture is a traditional choice for a designer.

"Nooo," she laughs. "Of course there are traditional designers that make handcrafted furniture but the pieces I design are very different.

"I try to be adventurous. I've used a smashed up windscreen and reclaimed slate in my designs, by setting them into tables with lights underneath. And I've put them into mirrors for a textured feature before too."

Ember is one of 20 exhibitors chosen from members of the Scottish Furniture Makers Association to show their work at their fourth annual festival exhibition, held

at 67 Northumberland Street. The pieces on display are contemporary designs representing the best of bespoke furniture in Scotland.

Ember's showcase of modern and directional work forms part of the impressive display of cutting-edge designs from some of Scotland's top furniture designers.

So if you've ever hankered after a special piece of furniture, but instead found yourself settling for something from Habitat or Ikea, then the New Scottish Furniture exhibition could open up a whole new world to you.

"More people are demanding something that is hand-crafted or one of a kind," says Ember.

And going bespoke is a lot cheaper than you'd think. According to Ember, whose work is now predominantly commissions from Edinburgh consumers, choosing a unique piece of furniture can be an affordable option. Her prices start at £30 for a one-off candle-stick holder and £70 for a mirror.

She says: "It depends on the wood and the design as to how much it costs, but people are surprised how reasonable it can be.

"I do a wide range of different furniture and the prices reflect that. I have people who come to me and commission mirrors for around £70 and I personalise them with the couple's initials. It's a bespoke mirror of nice wood from sustainable woodlands."

A large mirror from a high street retailer is likely to set a buyer back by at least £200. Ember charges around £300 for one-of-a-kind piece. Hardly expensive?

The whole point of the exhibition is to change perceptions.

According to the exhibition's organiser Angus Ross, while there's no doubt that buying bespoke furniture can be a pricey process, few realise you can discuss budget constraints with your designer. And fewer know just how affordable this kind of furniture can be.

He adds: "Designers can work to a budget that suits you. It's important to realise there's a real range of work that can be done and that there's something for everyone. It comes down to how long things take and the complexity of the items. You could easily get a basic coffee table for a couple of hundred pounds."

Angus continues: "I think a lot of people think there's only the likes of Ikea and Habitat out there and so the whole process of commissioning is intimidating for them. The idea that you can get something made specifically for you is still new to many.

"By having something commissioned it's about having something new and contemporary which is built to last - rather than something which will last five years. And you get something that is unique to you."

Ember agrees. "I have a gentleman who's got a 10ft weaving loom with a lot of timber in it. It's pitch pine which is a sought-after wood. His wife wants to use the wood for something, so he's bringing it to me and together we're designing something out of it for his wife's Christmas present.

"It's going to have a lot of sentimental value for them, and will most definitely be a unique piece.

"When it comes to any commissioned work, the customer can have as much control over the designs as they like.

"They are designing something that will compliment or contrast with their surroundings. It's exciting for the customer - they are part of the process."

From a style point of view, fusing the bespoke with high street bargains cleverly gives the overall impression of a more expensive home.

"It does change the way people view a house," admits Angus. "If there is a great piece people don't notice the rest and assume it's of equal quality."

And as Edinburgh-based interior designer, Julia Neustein, of Interior Motives says: "Thanks to TV we are all endeavouring to create a wow factor in our homes, and I can think of no better way than to create an individual focal point designed by a local craftsman."

"Think of these as an investment, and potential family heirlooms. I for one can't imagine any flat pack surviving the next two years let alone the next two generations."

No one does more good with wood
These are the Lothian-based furniture designers who will be exhibiting their work at the Scottish Furniture Makers Association fourth annual festival exhibition.

Tom Cooper
Specialising in traditional and contemporary fitted and free-standing items. www.tctimberworks.com

Namon Gaston
The Edinburgh-based contemporary designer specialises in the design and manufacture of elegant wooden furniture. www.namongaston.com

RobbieReid
Sixth-generation furniture maker who honed his skills in the family business, Whytock & Reid. www.robbiereidfurniture.co.uk

Jonathan Lassen
His business encompasses cabinetmaking, fine joinery and furniture design. www.lassendesign.co.uk

Jack Roots
Striking and elegant furniture, specialising in tables and chairs. www.simpleroots.co.uk

John Mackinnon
John specialises in modern furniture using solid timbers such as sycamore, elm, yew, and ash as well as birch and ply. www.jmkdesigns.co.uk

• New Scottish Furniture 2007 (www.scottishfurnituremakers.org.uk) runs from August 8 to September 2 at 67 Northumberland Street, Edinburgh. 11am-7pm. Admission £2.

• For information on Ember Hall visit www.embersfurniture.co.uk