A Treasured Moment: Tom Raffield's Hand-Carved Oak Sword

ELLE DECORATION: What is your most treasured object?

TR: My treasured object is a small hand-carved wooden toy sword, shaped and turned by Charlie - the first apprentice I ever employed - when he finished his bench-joinery apprenticeship with me. He made a pair for my sons, Beau and Bear, more than ten years ago. The other sword vanished long ago, somewhere in the woods during childhood adventures, but the one that remains sits on a shelf in my design studio, quietly catching my eye each day.

Charlie arrived eager to learn and, over six years, grew into an extraordinary maker, eventually leading our wood workshop before setting off to travel the world. The sword was his parting gift. It holds the story of that journey - from raw beginnings to confident craftsmanship - and the pride and sadness that come with watching someone you’ve mentored step into their own life.

He gave it to me at a time when work felt relentless and chaotic, when I was consumed by orders and deadlines. Somehow, that simple object cut through the noise. It reminded me that making is not just about production, but about people - patience, kindness, and shared growth.

Running a creative business, it’s easy to focus on the larger narrative of success or survival. Yet this sword represents the quieter stories that sit beneath it all: apprenticeships, friendships and the human moments that shape a life in craft. I’m proud of my own path, but even more so of the people I’ve had the privilege to work with along the way. For me, it carries memory, gratitude and the enduring beauty of something made by hand.

ELLE DECORATION: What kind of wood is it made of and what quality does that give it?

TR: Charlie carved it from a piece of oak that was left over from one of our lighting pieces. At the time, we were using oak from a tree that had grown in a small woodland we owned near the workshop, so even the material itself had a connection to our lives. It wasn’t anonymous timber - it came from a place we knew intimately.

Oak has a wonderful sense of permanence. It’s incredibly strong, but also full of warmth and character. The grain tells its own story, and as it ages it becomes even more beautiful. There’s a reassuring weight to it that makes it feel honest and enduring. I like that this object, which has become such a container for memories, is made from a material that was always capable of lasting for generations.

ELLE DECORATION: Over the time you’ve had it, has your relationship with it changed? Does the fact that your sons played with it (and its twin) give it more meaning - it carries their story too; it served that role as a toy first, before it became more of a sculptural object in your life?

TR: Completely. It’s almost had three distinct lives.

When Charlie first gave it to us, it represented his journey. It was a generous farewell gift from someone I’d watched develop from an apprentice into an exceptional craftsman. At that point, whenever I looked at it, I thought about him and everything we’d shared during those years working together.

Then it stopped being a keepsake altogether and simply became a toy. It was endlessly swung through the air, bashed against trees, left outside in the rain, lost in the garden and eventually rediscovered. One of the pair disappeared somewhere in the woods and never came home. The surviving sword carries every knock and scar from those adventures. It’s quite remarkable how even oak can bear the evidence of thousands of imaginary battles.

Now it has become something else again. Today it leans in the corner of my studio. I see it every day. Sometimes I look at it as a beautifully made object, and sometimes it’s simply a reminder of Charlie, of my boys growing up, and of a time in my life that feels a world away. It reminds me not only of Charlie and the importance of passing on craft, but also of my sons when they were young enough to believe every stick could become a sword and every woodland a kingdom.

I’ve realised over the years that the things we value most are rarely the ones kept perfect. They’re the objects that have been used, damaged and lived with. Every mark on this sword reminds me of a person or a moment I’d otherwise probably have forgotten. The dents, weathering and worn edges are precisely what make this one irreplaceable. It carries the story of friendship, mentorship, childhood and family all at once. Even now I don’t display it like an artefact. It’s simply propped against the wall, ready to be picked up again. I like that it still feels like an object with a purpose rather than a relic of the past.

This interview first appeared in ELLE Decoration.

Posted: 09.10.26
Updated: 09.10.26