Decorative Wooden Bowls

Decorative wooden bowls begin with the same process as every other bowl we make — a log cut and turned on the lathe. What makes them decorative is how they’re used. Many end up as centerpieces, holding fruit or flowers, or standing empty where the grain and form can be seen every day.

Some are round and simple, others live edge or burl, but all of them carry the marks of their wood. Decorative wooden bowls start the same way as every piece in the workshop — with a raw log on the lathe. The shape, the grain, the finish all come from that single piece of wood. What makes them decorative has more to do with how they’re used once they leave the shop. Some end up at the center of a table, holding fruit or flowers. Others are set out empty, where the grain itself does the work.

A wooden bowl like this doesn’t need to stay tucked on a shelf. It can move — filled one day, set bare the next — shifting with the rhythm of the room.

Many are given as gifts. Sometimes for a wedding, sometimes when a family moves into a new house. Each piece is handmade, each one distinct, and the difference is what makes it worth keeping close.