Rock out the barrel

Robbie Reid is making rocking chairs and other furniture out of old whisky barrels

As a scion of the Whytock and Reid dynasty, the famous cabinet makers of Edinburgh, Robbie Reid is the sixth generation of his family involved in the furniture industry. ‘I would say furniture is in my blood. I was brought up in a house full of fine furniture.’ The father-of-one continues to make bespoke furniture but when recession hit he had to think out of the box to keep his East Lothian business going. Fortunately he had a few oak whisky barrels hanging around the yard and an eye for clever design. He noticed the curves are not only perfect for a comfortable seat, but the rockers on a chair. As an extra bonus, the opening in the barrel is the right size for a glass of whisky. Thus the Whisky Barrel Rocker was born. ‘Possibly the most attractive thing about the rockers is keeping the curve,’ says Robbie. “It is attractive to the eye, rather like the curves of a woman.’ The rustic look of the furniture and warm tones of the oak wood finished in boiled linseed oil also appealed. Robbie, 42, makes stools and tables out of whisky barrels but the rockers are the most popular design. ‘I have delivered them to stately homes and council houses,’ he says. The rockers have been developed over the years so they can be dismantled and stored in the shed and should last for decades. Now the idea is to market whisky barrel furniture abroad, with a couple of rockers already going to India. Robbie, 42, admits the garden furniture industry is extremely competitive but is determined to keep manufacturing in Scotland. He believes the unique design and link with Scotland and the whisky industry could be popular around the world. ‘You are producing something that is well designed from recycled materials that will last a long time for a relatively inexpensive price. Most of all it is completely unique. ‘It is my baby. No one else has done it.’ www.whiskybarrelrockers.co.uk