The Story of
Washed Up Wood
Driftwood Furniture

February 17, 2003 - Long Island NY

The now-infamous "Presidents's Day Weekend Blizzard" grinds up the east coast of the United States, a n'oreaster that deposits over two feet of snow in in some parts of the New York area. Four foot snowdrifts transform a houses into snowy prisons, doors pinned shut by the drifts.

With not much to do during the storm except throw more logs on the fire and stare out the window, it is decided to take some plank-and-beam driftwood (originally collected for firewood) and craft a much-needed night table in the makeshift garage "woodshop". Several hours later, what was to become the first Washed Up Wood creation was finished.

Other pieces ensued, mostly given as house-warming or wedding gifts. When the chorus of voices saying "you should sell these things" got too loud to ignore, a woodshop space in Springs, NY (in "the Hamptons", Suffolk County) was finally secured.

Two years of prototyping and market research, (and a lot collecting driftwood) later, Washed Up Wood debuts a full line of pieces for the summer of 2008.

One of the most interesting aspects of Washed Up Wood is the "found art" nature of the material. Design and construction is always dictated by what is encountered at the water's edge, and inherently, no two pieces are the same. •

Kyril Bromley photo.

The first night table.  (Sold)