Rustic Meets Contemporary

The Dancing Woodman is a small independent business, based in Southampton, specialising in making rustic furniture and home decor. It was founded by talented furniture maker Aaron Holloway-Jenks, who had spotted a gap in the market for contemporary wooden homeware with a natural aesthetic.

A recent customer commission was for a rustic-look, sliding door with a black steel industrial-style runner, to be used as a bathroom door.

“All of our furniture is made from 100% reclaimed, locally sourced wood,” said Mr Holloway-Jenks. “Our pieces feature the timber’s original characteristics, adding to the rustic feel so it’s important that we use a wood finish that looks natural and preserves the natural beauty of the wood.”

All Dancing Woodman pieces are finished with two coats of Osmo Oil. For this particular project, it used Osmo Natural Oil Woodstain in 701, which gives a clear, matt finish.

“For this project, we wanted to use a quality oil that offers added moisture protection because the sliding door was being used as a bathroom door,” said Mr Holloway- Jenks. “I have used Osmo since I started my business, as the quality of the products is brilliant. The application is great and they are really easy to use.

“The Osmo Natural Oil Woodstain highlights the reclaimed wood’s natural features, something that I find very important to the look and feel of my products. The finished results are amazing, and my customer was delighted.”

Mr Holloway-Jenks used a brush to apply two coats of Osmo Natural Oil Woodstain, leaving each coat to dry in-between applications. The product offers durable and fast drying protection, whilst enabling the natural wood grain to remain visible. It is very water resistant, helping to reduce any wood swelling and shrinkage. It delivers a microporous, breathable finish which does not crack, peel or flake, making it a suitable, high-quality finish for this particular door.

The project was a bespoke order to begin with. However, it received so much positive feedback that Mr Holloway-Jenks decided to make this product a regular Dancing Woodman listing, which has been increasingly popular since launch.

Offering the option for customisation of the product also means that the door can be adapted to individual requirements, including changing the handles or offering different Osmo Oil finishes, resulting in a unique, high-quality piece every time.