One of 2023’s last projects was to make a four-meter servery and a two-and-a-half-meter makers bench. Both items were made out of reclaimed timber for a new bakery in Kiama, called Slow Dough.
The two items are a feature in the new bakery. They’re in direct sight of customers and used in the making of and selling of every item. The servery and makers bench needed to be aesthetically pleasing, extremely sturdy for a commercial setting and naturally, they needed to adhere to health and food standards.
The timber used on these projects was sourced from the southern highlands, just up the mountain from Kiama from a sleepy area between Jamberoo and Robertson. The very old timber has spent its past lifetime as fence rails on a working farm. The farmer was upgrading from timber to steel and The Wattle Road was extremely fortunate to secure this timber.
In its original paddock state, whilst it was weathered and colourful, it was straight and in abundance. Once milled, we could see incredible potential for this timber and knew the transformation would be eye-catching. It’s a selection of mixed Australian hardwoods including blackbutt, spotted gum, stringy bark and red gum. That is light, medium and dark browns and the occasional rich red. Because of its age, it has extra character and charm that older timbers seem to be able to achieve.
The selection of timbers used in the bakery bench tops are a mixture of the colours available. From light and darker brown to rich red. We removed a lot of the original historical characters (holes, crevices from age etc) to ensure there would be no traps for food items. Any gaps that did exist were filled with glass.
The benches were finished with a food safe hard wax made from natural ingredients that not only transforms the timber look but makes it safe to lick up your crumbs from too.
Next time you’re in Kiama, check out our benches at Slow Dough. You'll find them at 19 Bong Bong Street. Most importantly, be sure to make room for some extremely yummy baked goods too. They sell out fast (open: Friday - Sunday), so let them know you’re coming (visit: slowdough.com.au).
If you like what you see and would like us to make something special for you, please get in touch.
Until next time.