Robin Clevett Chats To Oli Carter About Adventurous Joinery & RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Ollie, let's talk about some of your designs and concept that you've created.

Okay? And, um, you gave us a little bit of a heads-up there about the fact that you like to take, um, the stuff that other people don't want and use the beauty of that, like the shape of it, and that is hard work.

I've seen you flatten off those sides as well.

Yeah.

Sometimes, you know, using like a, a, a portable bandsaw-

Yeah, yeah

... or a chainsaw-

Yeah

... or something like that.

Yeah.

This is, this is incredibly creative stuff, okay.

Um, so let's talk a little bit about that.

Tell, tell us, um, why working with timber, which isn't straight and regular, excites you so much.

Why, why does it challenge you so much?

I, well, it's, it is the challenge as, like you said.

Like, for me, I, every time we do something, you know, you're like, "Right, this is something we haven't done before." Every job is like that.

That's The Adventurous Joinery.

Yeah.

That is what we do.

And I like to think that I kind of call on my 20 years of doing this to use the experience of every other job that I haven't known quite how we're gonna do it to make the next job.

And, you know, for me, the sustainability factor is a huge part of it, and I think if we can lean into using British timber more, understand what British timber can do, it's really important, I think, 'cause, you know, we're such a huge importer of timber-

Mm.

Especially, especially oak

...

when we've got it all on our doorstep.