Welcome to the Common Works Blog!

Here you will find updates and news clips of our work on this newly created space, as well as some well written essays from our founder Tony Millwater on how the business came to be and the inspiration behind it all! We hope you enjoy.

2025/08/27

Step into The Common Works and you’re welcomed by a space that feels both vibrant and calming. The air is fresh and bright, carrying the clean scent of wood shavings, the earthy aroma of clay, a hint of paint — and always, the warm comfort of freshly brewed coffee from the café corner. Light pours through tall windows giving the space a golden warmth that feels both industrious and welcoming.

To your left, the woodworking studio hums steadily. The rhythmic sound of saws and sanders is punctuated by the occasional sharp crack of a mallet on chisel. You hear laughter from two carpenters sharing tips over a workbench, and the rough, comforting feel of raw lumber meets your hands as you trail your fingers along a waiting stack of boards.

In the pottery studio, the world slows. The steady whir of spinning wheels and the splash of water against clay makes the room feel like its own heartbeat. Potters lean over their wheels, hands slick with clay, sculpting vessels from earth with a kind of meditative focus. The smell here is grounding, almost ancient, and the cool slip of wet clay invites you to imagine the feel of shaping something lasting with your own hands.

Further in, the painting studio bursts with color. Walls are hung with canvases in every stage of becoming — from tentative first strokes to bold, finished works that glow with life. Brushes clink in jars, paint thins in glass palettes, and the smell of linseed oil and acrylics gives the room a vibrant, electric edge. You imagine yourself standing here, brush in hand, the bristles scratching lightly across canvas, surrounded by the soft murmur of others creating beside you.

And then, at the heart of it all, the gallery and gathering space. A high, open room that feels equal parts workshop and living room. The air carries the low hum of conversation, the gentle pluck of a guitar during an evening event, the crackle of laughter shared between strangers who don’t feel like strangers anymore. Here, exhibitions rise and fall, telling the stories of local makers. Long tables become places to share meals, to teach, to learn, and to celebrate.

The Common Works is more than a building. It’s a place where all your senses are engaged — where you see beauty being made, hear the rhythm of effort, smell the labor of craft, touch the tools of tradition, and even taste community during shared gatherings. It’s a place where you don’t just witness creativity; you participate in it.

Here, you are not alone. You are surrounded by people of all ages, all skills, all walks of life — each adding their piece to the collective puzzle. A place where your efforts matter, your ideas are welcome, and your craft — whether humble or masterful — finds a home.

This is The Common Works. A place where creativity lives, where community builds, and where the ordinary becomes extraordinary — together.

• Tony Millwater