Mint Croft, Skye

Shaz Morton of Mint Croft, Skye approached XpoNorth earlier this year. She and her partner Ali were working on their new range of hand-made furniture and lighting. It’s currently showcased in their boutique accommodation on their croft on Skye and online shop. Forstaris is Scots for a female inhabitant of a forest and the name of their new design brand.

Both are crofters with backgrounds in product design, design for film, cabinet making and video installation. They use traditional skills with new applications to design and make bespoke furniture.

With a strong sense of place, each piece is made to order, inspired by Highland craft heritage and landscape and made in the Highland region.

New to selling product, the support offered, helped Shaz and Ali make informed decisions around pricing the end-product, taking into consideration all the aspects including manufacturing partners, logistics and routes to market.

Shaz says “Talking to someone who understood the different stages of product development and could give real advice based on live experience, helped us make important product launch decisions

Thorter, Table (Scots: to do something in a criss-cross fashion) is their inaugural product. Inspired by the wattle work on a 19th century barn—typical of Lochalsh.

The beautifully crafted tables can be seen at Mint Croft, Skye and also at Forstaris.