The Freshfield Woodsmith

By Jenny Lank
The Freshfield Woodsmith began, as many good things
do, at home. My husband, Dan, has always been both
practical and creative — the sort of person who can turn
a rough piece of timber into something beautiful. Over
the years, he has built pieces for our family and friends:
a bookcase for our overflowing shelves, a treasured
seat inspired by those I’d seen on gap year travels, and
a garden dining table that has become the heart of
summer family gatherings. Watching how those pieces
became part of our daily lives made us realise this could
be something more.
By 2022, we decided to take the leap and build a
business together. We loved the idea that the adventure
of marriage could extend beyond domestic life — that
we could work side by side on something creative and
purposeful. Dan is the checked-shirt enthusiast in the
workshop, fuelled by strong coffee, PopMaster or Test
Match Special on the radio, with an unwavering focus
on getting every detail right. He’s meticulous, creative,
endlessly hardworking — and above all, genuinely
friendly. Clients often tell us how easy he is to have
around their house and how his calm, good-natured
approach makes the whole process enjoyable.
Our workshop sits in Freshfield, just outside Lindfield
— the same landscape where I grew up. It’s surrounded
by farmland, with steam engines on the Bluebell Railway
whistling from a couple of fields away. There’s a quiet
kind of magic in that sound: a reminder of craft, tradition,
and doing things with care. It’s the perfect backdrop for
the kind of work Dan does — where precision, skill, and
pride go into every piece.
We started The Freshfield Woodsmith to bring
that same sense of care and craftsmanship into other
people’s homes. Dan’s early training as a tool-maker
shows in his precision, while his creativity ensures that
no two projects are ever quite the same. Every home
has its own quirks — alcoves that don’t quite fit standard
cupboards, sloping floors, or corners that deserve
something special. That’s where our bespoke furniture
makes all the difference, creating pieces that feel as
though they’ve always belonged.
So, whether you’re dreaming of built-in storage that
finally ends the battle with shoes, books and boxes, or a
free-standing table, bench or wardrobe designed just
for you, or something totally unique we’ve never
thought of before, we’d love to
hear from you.