This book is a lot of different things all in one. It is a story about top-flight design and craftsmanship in furniture and what it takes to achieve that. It is a story about the beauty and allure of wood. It is a coming-of-age story, including a difficult dad relationship and later reconciliation. It is a story about life in rural Scotland. And, it is a love story. 

I read this book a couple of years ago and really liked it, but I wasn’t sure that it had enough woodworking content for our newsletter. But, two different members mentioned the book to me. I read it again and changed my mind. So, here’s a bit about it to entice anyone who might be interested.

The book is a memoir, with Callum Robinson telling his story. He grew up in rural Scotland, with a father who was a cabinetmaker and carver. Based on his own description, Callum was an awkward kid and had his share of struggles growing up. He worked through all of that and became one of the UK’s top furniture designers and makers. His studio has done work for some very high-end brands and places, including Burberry, Bentley Motors, Johnnie Walker, The Glasgow School or Art, and Edinburgh Castle. It wasn’t an easy journey to the top, with many setbacks and many high-stress, near catastrophic moments along the way. The story about developing as a furniture designer is woven together with rich descriptions of rural Scotland and a beautiful tale about his family, especially his wife and collaborator in design. Near the end of the book, he also offers advice on how to get started and make it professionally in the furniture world for anyone thinking about that.

Turns out that in addition to his furniture work, Robinson is a very good writer, and his memoir has received wide-ranging plaudits. The book is beautifully written and an easy and fast read.

You can see some of their furniture work at Method Studio at this link. 

Ingrained is widely available and at Amazon in many formats.