Great to see our Charred Cedar of Lebanon mirror showcased front and centre of the Trend Alert feature within KBB Magazine.

The local and weathered Cedar of Lebanon wood I have used to create this mirror frame is organic in shape, rather than straight cut – with these features enhanced by the charred finish.

The light and stable timber makes this wood the perfect material for a large mirror frame = 1.4m by 1.2 m

Alternative sizes available in retail spaces and via commission.

A really nice ‘Devon Portrait’ feature in the March issue of Devon Life Magazine, courtesy of Matt Austin Images.

Furniture maker Alex Brooks, who lives in Seaton, East Devon, loves to create beautiful designs from raw, wind-fallen timber. Alex has been working as a furniture maker professionally for more than 16 years…

***The Penn table has now been relisted for auction – to place your bid CLICK HERE***

ANNOUNCING THE DORSET ART WEEKS ONLINE AUCTION | 7- 19 JULY

Following the cancellation of this year’s Dorset Art Weeks (the UK’s largest free arts festival) over 80 artists present their works in an online auction open from 7 -19 July.

Featuring over 200 items, covering: paintings, prints, photographs, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, glass, textiles, jewellery, mixed media, furniture and stoneware.

Alex Brooks Furniture is proud to be a part of this event and line up – follow the auction event to view and bid on furniture pieces from across my collections as well as a number of items from fellow artists.

The auction will be held in conjunction with The Auction Hub and Dorset Visual Arts.

The Auction Hub – founded in 2019 by James Harvey with online technology by Auctionet – was a sponsor of Dorset Art Weeks 2020 and James hit upon the idea of an online auction to take the place of the festival and provide a sales platform for artists’ specially created works. Commenting on the auction initiative James said, ’Dorset Art Weeks is a key, high profile event in the Summer calendar, with artists preparing up to two years in advance. We are delighted to present this online auction, showcasing the incredible talent from the county, to local, national and international audiences. The sheer range of items on offer will attract and delight many bidders and buyers during these exceptional times’.

Many works in the auction take their inspiration from the countryside and coastlines to be found across the vast expanses of Dorset. Whereas other artists bring their experience of working and living outside the county and the UK to their works created in Dorset.

The online auction…

• Will take place on Auction.net
• Bidding will take place on the site from 7 July 2020
• Bids can be placed up until 19 July 2020
• Bidders will see the latest and highest bid against each work before placing their own bid
• Successful buyers can collect directly from The Auction Hub, Westbury, or will be able to request a shipping quote directly from The Auction Hub’s logistics department
• One single online payment can be made for this service together with auction purchases

Bid on my furniture…

• THE ‘PENN’ SPALTED BEECH SLICE TABLE – bid here
• THE ‘FOSSE’ WEATHERED OAK SLICE TABLE – bid here
• THE ‘WYLD’ SPALTED BEECH SLICE TABLE – bid here

Sitting Spiritually have kindly invited us back to their glorious garden for the last of their Open Garden events this year.

Do come along and see a mix of both indoor and outdoor furniture from Alex Brooks Furniture and Ed Brooks Furniture, along with Sitting Spiritually’s bespoke garden swing seats and benches.

I will have exclusive purchase offers available for commissions placed at the event as well as for those pieces available to buy direct from the show. Visit me in the Summer House and in the garden to chat through the offers and to find out more about Alex Brooks Furniture.

The next Open Weekend is…..

• Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th September 2019
• 10am to 5pm on both days
• Parking is available at the venue
• Entry is free & there will be free refreshments served, but donations if desired to
  ARC, a local charity

See you there – in the beautiful Dorset countryside, near Lyme Regis.

The Bovey Tracey craft festival was an incredible event to be a part of. The standard of the artists and craftspeople was very high and this was made clear by the number of people entering the event over the long weekend.

By the end of the weekend, I had talked to hundreds of people, given away nearly all of my business postcards and sold all pieces on the stand, with commissions to prepare afterwards. It was exhausting but brilliant!

It further impressed on me the significance of getting my pieces in front of people for them to see and touch; therefore I will be exhibiting at other shows soon, as well as having more pieces in retail spaces.

Caring for your oak chopping board/platter from Alex Brooks Furniture:

• Use it and enjoy it!
• Oak/Chestnut have tannins which give the wood it’s colour, these will wash out over a few washes. Tannins can stain material.
• A food safe oil has been applied.
• Wash by hand or dishwasher. Small splits and warping may occur.
• Mild steel such as tin cans will stain oak black, avoid. If you find a black mark, this can be sanded out.

I am pleased to announce that I will be part of ‘Craft Festival’ this year.

The highly acclaimed and multi award-winning festival will take place in Bovey Tracey from 7th-9th June.

Come along and meet over 200 of the finest Makers selling their work.  There will also be live music and feasting – amongst many other activities and entertainment!

I will have exclusive purchase offers available for commissions placed at the event as well as for those pieces available to buy direct from my stand.  Visit me on Stand D1 to chat through the offers and to find out more about Alex Brooks Furniture.

This charred ‘Ray Table’ from my Trunk Table collection, is making its debut appearance at Chelsea Flower Show this week!  21 – 25 May 2019.

Adrian Gray, The Pioneer of Stonebalancing Art, commissioned me to supply an organic style seat to compliment his organic garden, complete with ginormous stone balanced sculptures, at Chelsea Flower Show

Visitors can sit on my seat to get photos under the teetering rocks! 

Seek out Adrian Gray Stonebalancing on stand PW 605 and see if you can spot ‘Ray’ whilst also admiring Adrian’s stone balancing skills.

Come and see a mix of both indoor and outdoor furniture from the Brooks Brothers at the upcoming Sitting Spiritually Open Garden event.

I will be exhibiting newly released pieces such as a new lamp design and many unique tables, along with pieces from the block collections. And on the lawn, we will have outdoor furniture and garden gates from Ed Brooks Furniture.

We will have furniture available to purchase at the event and we’ll also be taking orders for commissions and bespoke designs.

Please do come and see us and our indoor and outdoor furniture collections, in the beautiful Dorset countryside, near Lyme Regis.

Parking is available at the venue.

The next event is on:  Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th May 2019

The first event has now closed: Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th May 2019

10am to 5pm all days

I’m really proud to be featured in the January issue of Devon Life – a fantastic magazine that frequently showcases local artisan crafts and talents.

Have a read of their feature piece on Alex Brooks Furniture.  My furniture is top of their shopping list!

‘WOOD TO WOW’

Alex Brooks Furniture combines beautiful wood with stunning designs and careful finishings… what’s not to like?

I am thrilled to have been selected to exhibit my handmade contemporary furniture at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery, as part of their Present Makers Exhibition – 10 November 2018 to 22 December 2018.

A leading event in the South West crafts calendar, Present Makers 2018 celebrates the talent of contemporary craftspeople and designer-makers, who make the South West such a vibrant place to live.

The exhibited work in a diverse range of materials includes amongst others: glass, wood, paper, textiles, prints, ceramics, furniture and jewellery. All of the work is for sale…Read More

Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) is an award-winning public art gallery hosting an acclaimed programme of contemporary art & craft exhibitions, alongside a permanent collection of artist Thelma Hulbert’s work.

The September pop-up event, in my hometown of Seaton, was a wonderful success. It allowed me to interact with both old and new clients and talk through the processes and detail of my pieces – gaining lots of positive feedback.

It also allowed me to meet other artists and makers and to reflect on our skill.

I made many new friends and contacts, and as you can see I am now expanding into other outlets, near and further afield.

A massive thank you to Affar who were so kind to host the pop-up for me, Hilary Arnold (painter) and Anja Graefe (potter)

The Pop-Up Event will allow you to view my entire range of pieces, many of which have not been seen before.

When & Where?

Affar, 4 Cross Street, Seaton, Devon. EX12 2LH (www.affar.co.uk)

Tuesday 11th September – Sunday 23rd September 9am until 7pm (every day)

Who is the Pop-Up Event for?

Whether you want to buy a piece for your own home, require multiples for retail or would like to commission furniture for commercial space then the Pop-Up Event is a great place to start.  You will have the opportunity to see and feel the furniture as well as discuss your plans and requirements face to face with me, an experienced designer and maker.

These were glorious events held in the wonderful show garden of Martin and Celia Young, owners of Sitting Spiritually.

I spent each event weekend based in the Summer House, exhibiting handcrafted solid wood furniture from my portfolio.

It was a great success and influenced me to show my pieces at my own pop-up event, as detailed above.

Both Alex Brooks Furniture and Ed Brooks Furniture are exhibiting at the three Sitting Spiritually Open Garden Weekends this Spring and Summer.

The next, and last event is on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th September, so please do come and see us and our indoor and outdoor furniture collections, in the beautiful Dorset countryside, near Lyme Regis.

We will have furniture available to purchase at the event and we’ll also be taking orders for commissions and bespoke designs.

Parking is available at the venue.

Also exhibiting with us will be:

Adrian Gray Stone Balancing

Jarmanmurphy Garden Design

Robert James Literary Bronze Sculpture

“Alex is branching out, designing his own interior furniture from the wood he loves so much. Alongside conventional bespoke furniture, Alex strives to capture the beauty of fallen wood, showcasing the end grain detail in his pieces, which are also works of art. Alex uses the sections of a tree that other carpenters often avoid as they are temperamental to work with. But the results are more than worth it”…….cont

As part of the wider Brooks family furniture story, Alex was asked to appear in a video for Axminster Power Tools, and we think it is a real success.