In a world where consumerism has seemingly engulfed and laid bare our inability to be good stewards to this planet something had to change – no matter how small our contribution may be. At RAW-i we have made deliberate and conscious choices as to where our materials are sourced from. We follow two very simple principles:

To source as locally as possible

Transport, and the movement of products is one (not the only) major contributors to human enhanced climate change. We ensure that if a product can be acquired within our locality then this is the preferred option (sometimes the financial cost has to play second fiddle to the environmental impact). The wood for our studio and other commissions is primarily sourced from forests within the county or just over the border in Wales. This wood comes from sustainable sources and is certified under the FSC guidelines.

To reduce, recycle and to reuse

The growing desire to ‘reuse, recycle and more importantly reduce’ has led to many of our products being ‘up cycled’ from disused timber and discarded sundries. A collection of interior Georgian pine doors – covered in a nasty shellac – have been used in a number of creative ways. From cladding an end wall in our studio to creating shelving and indeed a colourful and quirky entrance to RAW-i Studios these doors have been given new life and saved from the costly disposal at a tip.

When we see discarded offcuts of timber we don’t see waste we see possibilities. Fragments of once obvious function still offer purpose. At RAW-i we try to harness this.