“About twelve years ago I commissioned Helen to make me two pieces of furniture. Both had a practical use, yet both are works of art in their own right. The first piece was a ladder, I was living at the time in an old converted small barn in Norfolk. I had made a sleeping platform & of course needed access. The ladder was made from ash with dark walnut details down the sides, where the rungs intersected. The ladder now lives in Wales and fulfils the same purpose, but this time, it’s a cat that climbs up to his bed!! The second piece is a plan chest. It is an item of great beauty & immense practical use. I worked as a bookbinder for many years and had longed for my own, unique chest to keep papers in. It was designed to accommodate a full size piece of Japanese paper, that can sit flat in the draw. It’s modern in style, having no handles, but holes instead. Just under the top surface is an additional slide out surface, which has proved to be brilliant. The chest is made from Ash and the pull out sliding shelf is American Walnut.””