Friso Furniture - Wooden Teaware

[friso]

Hello fellow members!

So, my name is Arthur Friso, and I have been lurking / occasionally posting on this forum for around four years I believe. As many others, the pandemic got me into artisanship and I am now a woodworker by trade. It was only a matter of time, then, before this would happen : I now specialize in wooden tea trays, tables, pot supports and so on!

I make everything myself out of solid wood in my workshop, here in Montréal. I like traditionnal and minimalists designs which allow the beauty of the wood to speak for itself. The finishes I use are of a premium quality and are both food safe and water resistant. You can find my products on my Etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/FrisoFurniture) or Instagram account (@friso.furniture).

As a tea drinker, I am mostly into heichas and oolongs. Liu baos are my daily drinkers, unless I go for a HK style roast TGY. My puerh collection is of course out of control, and I also suffer from teaware addiction (help ). Finaly, I have been lucky enough to travel a few times to Taiwan, Mainland China and HK, where I even got to buy tea for a local Montreal teashop I used to work for.

I will be posting pictures of my works soon. I am really looking forward to the community's feedback!


Etsy : https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/FrisoFurniture

Instagram : friso.furniture

[pedant]

beautiful stuff. thanks for sharing!

[debunix]

Drooling now.

[botlofchaz]

Really beautiful stuff. Will follow your work and would love to support sometime in the future.

[debunix]

I have been looking for an alternative to my Mirka Randova ceramic tea tray for a long time, since an accident with a cat that broke the spout of my Petr Novak sencha pot. I wanted it to be less likely to fracture my teawares when I am not as gentle as I should be putting them down, or when felines bounce across the setting. I also wanted a water reservoir that is easy to remove, empty, and clean, without a drain hose (a practical but very unattractive option). And I love wood and the beauty of grain around knots, burls, and curls. So I was prepared to fall in love with this offering from one of our newest Vendor members the moment I saw it on his Etsy, and I didn't resist it for very long.

It is made from simply stunning knotty walnut, and the knot holes are cleverly used to provide drainage from spills or pourovers to the removable plastic tray below. Another knot hole acts as a drawer pull for the drawer that neatly hides the practical plastic tray inside the drawer. I have barely used it for 2 sessions, so can't speak to long-term scratch and water resistance, but so far the spills have been easily wiped up with tea cloths and the wood remains smooth and neat.

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[friso]

Thank you so much for all the kind comments and pretty pictures!

I'm busy with a custom order for a local restaurant right now, but I have a couple of live edge projects with water drainage coming up. Can't wait to get it done!

[debunix]

I am really loving my walnut table, and it has finally prompted me to keep one of the little cotton cloths that comes as a gift with my teawares purchases from Japanese shops by the edge of the table, so that’s always handy for wiping up drips right away. I never worried about doing that with the Ceramic Tea tables, or cared enough about the bamboo trays to do it for them.

But that does bring up a question: what do you recommend for maintenance surface treatment of your wood tea wares, if it seems like wiping with a clean, damp cloth is not enough?

I know we discussed the specific finishes you’ve used on the wood in an Etsy thread, but we didn’t address this point, and it may be something of interest for other purchasers of your wares.

[LeoFox]

Do you ever plan to make some tea scoops?

[Darbotek]

Holy smokes, gorgeous stuff!

[friso]

@debunix
As with any wooden furniture, maintenance may be needed at some point down the road. I've been testing my products for six months now, and the finish is still looking good, but I expect they will need refinishing in the two to five years window.
There are two "families" of wood finishes : penetrating finishes and film finished. Film finishes form a hard film on top of the wood, which may be resistant and durable, but is a pain to maintain once it starts wearing out. I went for a penetrating finish (any oil product basically), which is much easier to maintain. If at some point you feel like a finish should be reapplied, you will only need to reapply some, without needing to sand the previous finish as long as it is not too damaged. And you may use any oil / wax product for that, same as you would use on your table tops or wooden countertops if you have some. I can also share the actual product I am using (but privately since I am not sponsored!).
You could also coat the top of the table with a beeswax/carnauba wax product from time to time. It would keep it smooth and shiny! But personally I haven't felt the need.

[friso]

@LeoFox
I have made scoops, but for friends and myself
I don't plan to actually produce scoops for my page. I'm more of a furniture maker than a sculptor / carver. Also, I believe a fellow woodworker is already selling handmade tea scoops online. But who knows, maybe in the future! For now I'm keeping it custom orders only.

[debunix]

debunix
As with any wooden furniture, maintenance may be needed at some point down the road. I've been testing my products for six months now, and the finish is still looking good, but I expect they will need refinishing in the two to five years window.
There are two "families" of wood finishes : penetrating finishes and film finished. Film finishes form a hard film on top of the wood, which may be resistant and durable, but is a pain to maintain once it starts wearing out. I went for a penetrating finish (any oil product basically), which is much easier to maintain. If at some point you feel like a finish should be reapplied, you will only need to reapply some, without needing to sand the previous finish as long as it is not too damaged. And you may use any oil / wax product for that, same as you would use on your table tops or wooden countertops if you have some. I can also share the actual product I am using (but privately since I am not sponsored!).
You could also coat the top of the table with a beeswax/carnauba wax product from time to time. It would keep it smooth and shiny! But personally I haven't felt the need.

Thank you, just want to file that away for the future!

[friso]

Many new items in stock ! [1/2]

Some new designs featuring knots, natural defects and live edges. I really like the idea of using natural knots and holes for water drainage on my tea tables. I've also been playing with different species of wood, to bring color contrasts and a modern touch to more traditional designs.

1. Gongfu side table, walnut wood, with water drainage through a natural knot hole.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1299875 ... at_1&frs=1

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2. Portable tea table, walnut wood with crazy grain patterns, and water drainage through the knot hole.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1325190 ... ve_2&frs=1

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3. Tea table, walnut wood (from a tree that fell here in Montreal) and maple wood. Little sink carved out for the teapot, black plastic tray under the top for water collection.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1324546 ... ve_1&frs=1

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[friso]

New items [2/2]

4. Live edge tea trays from a long walnut slab. I found this beautiful slab at my local lumber yard, and made two trays out of it.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1311223 ... ve_4&frs=1

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5. Cherry tea tray with a bookmatch walnut panel. Draws inspiration from japanese design - clean, sharp lines, and two square feet to keep it above your table.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1324103 ... ve_5&frs=1

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[Victoria]

Beautifully crafted pieces @friso. Thank you for your fine contributions