When we set out to reimagine the key fob that accompanies every finished hut, there was only one person we wanted to work with: Caroline of Somerset-based Rag of Colts. We think the result is something rather special…
There’s nothing that gives us more satisfaction than collaborating with West Country artisans to make sure every detail is perfect. From the Coates English Willow baskets we’ve commissioned for models like our Sixpenny Hut House to the beautiful leather door straps made for us just down the road in Wimborne, it’s those small handcrafted touches that really set us apart – and speak for the quality of our builds.
So when we recently decided to replace our wooden key fobs bearing the Plankbridge logo with beautiful handmade leather ones to give to each of our customers, we knew exactly who to turn to: designer and leatherworker Caroline of Rag of Colts in Bruton. The face behind one of our favourite Instagram accounts, Caroline has built a reputation for repurposing old saddlery leather and giving it a new lease of life with her stunning products, from key fobs and belts to bags and dog collars. Sourcing her leather from auctions, tack room clear-outs, car boots and flea markets, she makes everything the old-fashioned way – no shortcuts, just a blade, two needles and a skein of waxed French linen thread – so every piece is completely one-of-a-kind.
What we love is how closely her approach mirrors our own: proper, old-fashioned craft and attention to detail. Just as Mike in our prep room makes the brackets for our door straps in our forge, and our furniture team spends hours carefully crafting the elements of our kitchens in the workshop, Caroline cuts, bevels, stitches and burnishes each item individually in her Somerset studio, pairing them with sand-cast brass fittings from a British foundry.
As we discovered when the much-anticipated box of finished key fobs arrived in our showroom– to great applause and lots of “oohs” and “ahs” from the team – no two pieces are ever the same and all the lovelier for it. Tactile, rich with character and history, and redolent with that unmistakable smell of leather saddles, they are the perfect accompaniment to a Plankbridge hut. What a moment it was to add a key and turn the first one in the lock!
