A few years ago, UK-based carpenter Dan Lee and his fiancé decided to redecorate their living room. “I’d just put in some little flat shelves that still had bark on the edges of them, when I stumbled across a shelf shaped like a tree online,” recalls Dan. “I thought it would go nicely with the ones I’d just installed, so I decided to try and make one.” He sketched the shape out on a wall in his flat. Though Dan didn’t realize it at the time, this was the quiet beginning of his signature line of tree and branch shelves, BespOak Interiors—and things weren’t going to stay quiet for long.
After fielding several compliments and a smattering of heavy-handed hints from friends and family, Dan agreed to try and sell his shelves to drum up some extra funds for his spring wedding. In September 2014, he opened shop on Etsy, unsure of what to expect. Before he quite knew what was happening, sales took off, and by the following March—a full month before he walked down the aisle—Dan left his day job behind to pursue the blossoming business full time. “It all happened quite quickly, really,” says Dan.
Today, Dan spends his days in a Cirencester-based workshop alongside his quickly-growing team and trusty studio dog, Daisy, trying his best to keep pace with demand. “It’s just seems to continually grow,” says Dan of the business. “I feel like it’s just kind of grown itself and I’ve just tried to keep up with it. It’s been crazy.”
Read on to learn more about Dan’s process, meet his team, and shop the collection.
How did you find your way to woodworking? Have you always been creative?
I’ve always been making things. When I was little, I used to love taking things apart and trying to figure out how they were made. It was a bit of a nightmare for my parents; I’d only have a new toy for a week or so before I’d start taking it apart, and it would never work again after that.
I was always playing around with wood as well. My granddad was really into carpentry, and I remember as a kid, he bought me a little basic toolset with a saw and a tiny drill—I was probably about five or six. I used to mess around and cut up pieces of wood—not really making anything, but I liked to feel like I was doing something. So woodworking has always been a hobby of mine.
Tell me about your product development process.
I would say that most of the designs that I’ve come up with so far have been steered by my customers and what people have asked for. The first design I started off with was the oak branch that we did, and then somebody emailed me and said, “Would you be able to make a complete tree?” I started to look into it and think of ways that I could do it, and then came back to them and said, “Yeah, I can do that!” As a general rule of thumb, if somebody asks for something, and then maybe two or three people more people ask if I can do it, I decide there’s probably a bit of potential there—that’s what caused the floating shelf range.
Sometimes I’ll come across a picture of a tree and I’ll pick out lines that are in the bases of the branches, and I’ll think: That would work quite well as a shelf. And a couple of trees are based on real trees—actually, the hazel tree that we do is based on a tree that’s in my mum’s garden.
The company has grown so quickly—has your workshop expanded with the business?
My first workshop was in a shipping container, which was quite unique—it was one of those big steel box things, about 40-feet long and eight-feet wide. I used to do everything in that one, tiny space: machining all the wood, doing all the packaging, everything. It was all crammed in, but I never expected to actually move out—I kind of just thought that that was how it was going to stay. But then it became quite clear that it wasn’t going to be enough room.
It certainly sounds crowded, but what pushed you over the edge?
The problem was that I used to have a friend who would come help me do the packaging, but there wasn’t enough space for two of us to work in the container, so he used to have to do it outside. It meant he could only package stuff if it wasn’t raining. Photography was another big challenge. I’d make trees in the workshop, take them home and install them, then shove all the furniture against a wall and stack it on top of the sofa so I had enough space to shoot. My wife would come home and everything would be in a massive pile in the corner. That didn’t go down very well—not to mention the fact that, at one point, there were probably about 40 holes in our wall from where I’d put different things up and taken them back down again.
Eventually, I looked into getting a proper workshop, which is where we are now. It’s about 10 miles from my house on an industrial estate, which meant that I could get more fixed machinery. We got a big planer, which has made a massive difference to being able to process the wood. I have a lot more space to store wood now, plus a fake room upstairs where we stage all the photos. It also meant that I could have somebody else working with me—and they could actually work indoors instead of having to be out in the rain, which is also quite nice.
Over the years, you’ve assembled quite a team. How did your crew come to be?
Rich was the first guy that I took on, and that was about six months after I moved into the workshop. Initially, he did just two days a week, finishing stuff and helping with packaging. After probably two weeks, I said to him, “Actually, I need you all the time.” It’s just one of those things—it’s grown so quickly that as soon as I put one thing in place to keep up, it changes again.
It was probably only a month or so after that that I realized we needed somebody else. So then I messaged Josh; he and Rich were both people I knew already. So then we took Josh on and the same thing happened with Josh. He was here a couple of days a week, then we brought him on full time. Tom is in charge of the packaging and logistics at BespOak Interiors. And then we expanded into the unit next door, and we took on another guy called Bill. The idea behind taking him on is that he’s going to take over my workload so I can step away from having to do the building quite so much and spend a bit more time just developing new products.
Speaking of new products, how would you describe your aesthetic?
I would say it’s pretty natural and rustic, but I’ve tried to create a finish for each person’s style. We do the square-edged stuff, which is quite modern and clean looking, and we do the waney-edged stuff, which has a bit more natural character. And then you’ve got the bark edge, which is obviously really rustic and wild.
Do you have a favorite finish?
I probably prefer the waney-edged finish. Obviously, every piece of wood is different, but even more so I think with the waney-edged stuff—there’s just a lot more shape to it. It means that every shelf really is quite different because you’re not working with straight, square pieces of wood.
We make all of these things that are essentially the same product, but because we use live-edged timber, it means that every piece is different. We incorporate those little changes to make every piece unique. I would say that’s my favorite thing about it.
Follow BespOak Interiors on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Photographs by BespOak Interiors.
49 comments
Megan from MegansMenagerie said 3 years ago
Beautiful work! Congratulations on the feature!
Francine from HomespunHeartofMine said 3 years ago
What unique items, Dan! It is easy to see why your business is growing so quickly. My favorite is the mini oak tree bookshelves....they would be charming in a child's room! Congratulations on the feature and many blessings for your continued success!!! :D
Vadim Moroz from IconPainter said 3 years ago
Interesting line of products! Congratulations on the feature! All the Best!
TropicalGarden from TropicalGarden said 3 years ago
Great work! Congratulations on the feature!
ClassicMemories from ClassicMemories said 3 years ago
Great shop. Love your items Congrats on the feature.
Cathy from msbijouxbeads said 3 years ago
Beautiful work! Great feature, continued success to you
Jennifer and Gary Pierce from LoftAtticEarth said 3 years ago
Congratulations! Your art is so unique and functional. Keep following your dreams and helping the economy by hiring and growing your business!
Erika Iozsa from JasminBlancBoutique said 3 years ago
Beautiful products! :) Congratulations on the feature, you are very inspiring.
renee and gerardo from GTDesigns said 3 years ago
stunning work! wow! congrats on a robust feature!!
Flair Nouri from FlairPaintings said 3 years ago
wowww!!!!!! very nice and unique. Congratulations on the feature :)
LivingVintage from LivingVintage said 3 years ago
Awesome designs! Congrats.
Monica from ThreeBarDGifts said 3 years ago
Wonderful concept and designs! I enjoyed reading your story! Congrats on the feature and success of your shop!
Heidi Bondarenko from thecleverclove said 3 years ago
these are amazing! they would fit very well in my dream hobbit home :)
Rosita from pillowlink said 3 years ago
Awesome works. Love the story and natural wood. Wood have live energy even after it cutted in pieces. That is why it is very useful in living spaces for human being..Congrats!
Valentina . from Exclusive72 said 3 years ago
Awesome! Fantastically! Congratulations on the feature!
Kim Cole from BeachDaisyJewelry said 3 years ago
Beautiful and fun design!! Congrats on the feature and continued success in your expanding business. Love the tree shelves with bark!
viena bone from bonesreusablebags said 3 years ago
I am in love with your bookshelves! They are beautiful. I'm glad that this feature introduced me to your shop. Congrats on all of the quick success.
Monika Moroz from NickoArts said 3 years ago
Congratulations on the feature of your wonderful shop. I wish you much success :)
Jennifer Tyson from LadyInPurpleBoutique said 3 years ago
Congrats on the feature Dan! Your shop is so amazing and I can't wait to share it with my friends. Wishing you and your team a prosperous year!
Rachel Bingaman from BingArt said 3 years ago
Wow! Love these fantastic designs. Nice work!
Kashuen Collectibles from Kashuen said 3 years ago
What a great team. I love those floating design. Congratulations on the feature.
Priscilla from Gardenmis said 3 years ago
Your work is gorgeous, especially the rustic and wild bark edges! Congrats on the feature and best wishes for achieving all your goals and dreams :)
Renee from RandMhandmade said 3 years ago
Love all of your shelves...Congratulations!!
Teerasak Borkam from TribalAndHarem said 3 years ago
Beautiful and modern :)
Nicole from KarmaCodeOne said 3 years ago
Great story ~ absolutely lovely pieces ~ thrilled to see such uniqueness ~ cheers to much continued success !
Marisa M. from FeltInMyHeart said 3 years ago
Your shelves are so beautiful! I especially love the elm tree and windswept oak designs. Congratulations on the shop feature!
Rhonda Stubbs from RhondaCorner said 3 years ago
What a great story and your work is lovely. Thank you for sharing and I wish you and your team the best of luck on your future endeavors.
Rebecca and Daniel from HabitNationUSA said 3 years ago
Awesome shop! I love your tree bookshelves, and that your shop has a very nice, cohesive feel. It will be interesting to see what else you add to your product line in the future. I think it's great that you are able to hire help for your business.
StudioMJewelry from StudioMJewelry said 3 years ago
Beautiful, Unique Items. Congratulations on the feature!!
accentonvintage from accentonvintage said 3 years ago
Awesome work! Congrats!
Olga from LinenAndTailor said 3 years ago
Awesome designs! Beautiful shop! Congratulations on the feature!
Debra Gilstrap from gilstrapdesigns said 3 years ago
"Wow" congratulations on your feature. Your woodworking and all of your designs are amazing. Much continued luck!!!
One Stop Steampunk Shoppe from OneStopSteamShoppe said 3 years ago
Wow! Beautiful work! Congrats on the feature! : )
Patricia from RitzyandGlitzy said 3 years ago
Wow! Beautiful and unique! Great work!
Olesya Bagriy from BelkaUA said 3 years ago
Amazing work! Beautiful shop! Congratulations on the feature!
Business Casual nyc. from BusinessCasualNyc said 3 years ago
....great stuff....I too work with wood and sell my things....mostly wooden signs, since I'm a kid.....however I work with recycled woods found in dumpsters, construction sites etc.....not sure if I read it right, but do you work with recycled woods ? or do you cut down trees to do your work ?? just curious....
Shawna Balas from MotivateMeBracelet said 3 years ago
Love the bookshelves.
aressa from OriginalBridalHanger said 3 years ago
I love the books shelves..... They are totally awesome and very creative...I could see using them for my grandchildren and their books...They would really be intrigued by them...
Kathrin Kasper from blacksheeponline said 3 years ago
WOW! Very nice unique items! Absolutely wonderful!!!!
Georgia from JewelMeShop said 3 years ago
Amazing designs! Congrats on the feature!
George Akula from DrevaDowel said 3 years ago
Amazing when you can get people together to help you out! The approach is quite original!
Relly from RelsFindsNapaValley said 3 years ago
Unique tree designs like yours will make a study room from boring to a very interesting room... WOW! Congratulations Dan of BespOak Interiors!
Katrina Dzerkale from Dominna said 3 years ago
LOVE your set-up !
Shelly Livengood said 3 years ago
Beautiful unique decor. It has to be really satisfying creating those. Glad for your success. www.BedSweetBuys.com
evolvewithmary from evolvewithmarycrafts said 3 years ago
Incredibly stunning work! Love it!
Tasos from TACEHandmade said 3 years ago
Congrats!!! Amazings pieces!!!
Cat Encio Dolls from CatEncioDolls said 3 years ago
Beautiful craftsmanship, great feature! Congratulations on the feature!
emaxtees from EmaxTees said 3 years ago
Boys you rock!!!
Kassidy from RefashionRiffRaffery said 3 years ago
I can't believe neither the author nor the owner took advantage of all the tree puns..."it's like it just keeps growing"... Haha ;) Really cool stuff though.