Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of Notes from Herridge.

A monthly update from my Oxfordshire pottery studio, where I share what I’ve been making, what’s coming up, and spotlight a fellow maker whose work I think you’ll love.

Grab a coffee (or a bucks fizz) and let’s catch up ☕

Studio Happenings 

December was a month of two halves. The first couple of weeks were frenetic, with Christmas markets at Watlington and Hambleden, the shop update going live, packing orders, and finishing off Christmas commissions. One such commission had an interesting motivational quote that could only be gifted from one sibling to another!

Then came the calm.

One of the quiet beauties of ceramics is that everything takes time, often a minimum of a couple of weeks, which means the Christmas rush actually happens well ahead of Christmas itself. The final fortnight of the year felt almost self-indulgent: firing half-full kilns for non-Christmas commissions, playing in the studio and exploring new forms, and stepping back to plan for the year ahead, I even treated myself to a fancy new diary. I've been taking stock of what’s worked well, and what I’d like to make more space for in the months to come and I’m looking forward to sharing more as these ideas develop.

Thank you, as ever, for supporting my work; whether through an order, social media engagement, or simply by being here. As it’s the start of a new year, I thought it would be fun to share a few 2025 stats:

What’s Coming Up 

January is shaping up to be a productive one. I have a couple of commissions on the go, including a dinner service that I need to get properly cracked on with, and I’ll also be building my stock levels back up; the studio is looking fairly empty right now, which is a very good problem to have.

Alongside that, I’m planning to use this quieter period to make a few things just for myself. I was given a couple of bags of terracotta clay last Christmas and still haven’t used them, so I’d love to spend some time making flower pots for the garden. I also have plans for a few ceiling pendant light shades, as there are some bare bulbs around the house that could do with addressing.

Depending on how these experiments go, some may make their way onto the website. Last year during Arts Week I took along a small table lamp I’d made years ago and could easily have sold it many times over, so this January I’m planning to start developing a small run, with the intention of having them ready for Arts Week (2-10 May) at the Tree Barn, Christmas Common.

Beyond Arts Week, I don’t yet have any in-person events in the diary, but I’m sure more will fall into place over the coming months. For now, I’m very much looking forward to a quiet, studio-focused January. There are also some early conversations underway around events and collaborations later in the year.

Maker Spotlight — Rust & Woodchips

This month I had the absolute privilege of meeting Kristian, the maker behind Rust & Woodchips. I was told in advance to wear wellies, “it’s muddy.” Having never visited his workshop before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

Kristian works from a corrugated farm building on a working farm. Outside, the smell of silage hits first. Inside, the unmistakable scent of freshly sawn wood, and then the workshop itself: a vast, tightly packed space full of timber, tools and materials waiting for their next life.

Kristian is a carpenter who works predominantly with reclaimed materials, creating pieces from wood that would otherwise be wasted. A self-confessed skip diver, he has always been acutely aware of just how much usable material is thrown away. Growing up, he spent time on building sites with his dad, a roofer, and that early exposure shaped both his practical skills and his values.

That awareness has stayed with him. Kristian is thoughtful about the carbon footprint of traditional carpentry; the processing, treatment and transportation of timber, particularly when so much already exists. He’s also mindful of the chemicals often used to preserve wood, and the long-term impact that can have on both health and environment. Reducing waste isn’t simply practical for Kristian; it’s something he takes genuine pride in.

Before moving fully into carpentry, Kristian worked at Thame Park Estate as a landscaper, but building was always the pull. Alongside a friend, he built a small shack at the end of his parents’ garden using entirely scavenged materials, from building sites, skip diving and the occasional Facebook Marketplace find. The shack, christened The Woodchip, with its slate roof and stained-glass windows, became the springboard into carpentry and a clear demonstration that reclaimed materials could be reimagined.

That spirit carried him into several formative years working for a treehouse company, where he learned the fundamentals of carpentry. He later refined his skills with local carpenters before taking on his first significant solo commission: extending the home of the founders of The Orange Bakery so they could bake from home as the business grew.

At the start of 2020, Kristian took on evening and weekend demolition work at The Spire & Spoke pub in Watlington ahead of a major refurbishment. When the first lockdown hit, he and his wife Issy took on the full refit themselves. They finished just in time for reopening on Super Saturday in July 2020, the moment Rust & Woodchips was born, with Kristian becoming fully self-employed.

When I asked whether he has a typical day, the answer was a clear no. One day might be spent pulling nails from reclaimed timber, the next collecting materials from site, followed by weeks immersed in a build. With this level of variation, he works alone, though his now-retired dad occasionally helps, particularly with tiling roofs, a detail Kristian loves and which features on many of his builds.

Kristian’s customers are mostly private individuals looking for garden rooms, studio spaces and custom pieces of furniture, alongside projects for local shops and pubs. Whether private clients or businesses, they tend to share something in common: creative people who can visualise potential and who value the act of bringing life back to materials that might otherwise be discarded.

When asked about favourite projects, The Spire & Spoke naturally stands out, not just for its scale, but for its longevity as the space continues to evolve. Another is the garden kitchen at Cuxham Mill, built using reclaimed elements including the roof of an old pig arc, complete with a swing on the veranda; playful, generous, and entirely in keeping with Kristian’s approach.

Looking ahead, Kristian’s long-term ambition is to build a home for his family. This goal quietly drives much of what he does. Stacked at the back of the workshop is a pile of bright orange lockers salvaged from a stadium.

“That will be my kitchen one day,”

he says, with absolute certainty. I don’t doubt him for a second.

I first met Kristian when we were both showing work at The Tree Barn in Christmas Common during Arts Week, and we’ll be returning again in 2026. He doesn’t have a website; the best way to get in touch, whether you have a project in mind or materials to pass on, is via Instagram. His work is primarily across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, though he’s been known to travel further afield.

You can find Kristian and his work over on Instagram:

@rustandwoodchips

If there’s a maker, potter or otherwise, local or further afield, whose work you think deserves the spotlight, I’d love to hear from you. Just comment below with their name. And if I can get to their studio, I absolutely will! Stepping into someone’s creative space brings a whole new layer of insight. You see the context, the process, and what the work gives back to the maker, it’s always deeply rewarding.

A Little Treat for You 

As a thank you for reading all the way down, here’s a small treat: 

Use code NOTES07 for 10% off all handmade pottery online orders until Sunday 11th December.

If you’ve enjoyed this edition, feel free to forward it to a friend who loves handmade ceramics.

Until next time, Henrietta x