Lindsay Russell & Backwood Design Co. – Wood, Waves & New Beginnings

Lindsay Russell is the talented and driven woodworker and artist behind Backwood Design Co. Specializing in handcrafted pieces like cheeseboards, wall art, signs, and river tables, Lindsay brings a natural beauty to every item she produces. Her work often features "ocean wave" accents; a unique resin technique that she has refined and popularized in recent years, which has helped her stand out as an innovator and trendsetter. 

Lindsay is a longtime EcoPoxy collaborator, and in this interview we get a chance to talk to her about her origins as a woodworker and artist, her journey as an entrepreneur, and her current and future ambitions following her recent move and business reset.

Interviewer: Could you tell us a little about what got you started - what motivated you to launch Backwood Design Co.?

Lindsay: Well, I was actually working full time as an executive assistant before I started my business, and I had had several jobs that I didn't really enjoy, and was just having trouble finding what I really wanted to do. I actually started when we moved into a new house. We didn't have a ton of furniture, but we did have this huge, empty shop.

We weren't sure what we were going to do with it, so I started to refinish furniture. I started picking up all these cool little antique pieces I could find, and started learning about sanding and staining and finishing. And that's really the first experience I had with that type of project.

My dad and brother are contractors, so I'm no stranger to power tools. And, I've always loved working with my hands and being creative. My late mother was also a painter, so I think I got that creative gene from her as well.

We wanted to build a live edge table for our house, so we got a pretty cool slab of wood, and just basically self-taught ourselves (there wasn't a ton of online resources - such as YouTube tutorials - like there is today).

Afterward, I had all these little offcuts from the table builds, and I very much try to minimize waste, so I started making cheese boards, and I put a lot of time into sanding and finishing them. They were pretty high quality and I kept getting positive feedback. So, I started approaching local retailers to carry my creations. That was a little over seven years ago, and honestly, from there, the rest is history.

Interviewer: You’re known for your unique ocean wave resin technique, what motivated you to develop that style?

Lindsay: Everyone’s familiar with the standard metallic blue river table, which was so popular when I first started. But I really wanted to make the resin look like an actual ocean wave. So, I started experimenting with resin, and painting on the waves with acrylic paint, and using a torch to pop the surface bubbles. I eventually ran out of butane for my torch, and that’s when my electrician husband said I should try using his electric heat gun. All of a sudden, the epoxy started blending, and moving, and doing things I had never seen before. I can't say for sure that I'm the first person to try that technique, but I had never seen anything like that on social media. I'd never seen another woodworker do waves on wood or anything like that.

After years of experimentation, I’ve really refined my technique and now I create coastal inspired wall art, furniture, charcuterie boards, and home decor for nature lovers. I try to bring that outdoor vibe indoors.

About a week after I started sharing my ocean wave technique online, somebody with a much bigger social media following started doing a similar effect. My posts must’ve inspired them. At first, I was worried that my technique wasn't going to be special anymore; that everyone's going to copy me. But that was because it was so fresh and new, at the time. Since then, of course, it's really cool to inspire people. Not long after that, I started doing workshops because people were so interested in it, and started doing tutorials on YouTube, things like that.

I don't get much credit for developing and teaching that technique, but that's okay, because if I've inspired one person to start their own business, or do their own thing and become an entrepreneur, that's what it's all about for me.

I love what I’m doing with that technique now. One big product for me is what I call my Georgian Bay board, which is my coastal epoxy technique on our large charcuterie board. It's like my bread and butter. I sell them all day long. It's something that I have a really good process for making now. I sell them to retailers. It’s a product that I've become “trademarked” and known for. But saying that, if I was to only do that all the time, I'd be bored out of my mind right?

Recently, I started using a scroll saw, and making some scroll saw art pieces. With the scroll art, I can combine all the techniques I've learned over the years from my woodworking so I can do mosaic backers, hard wood backers, live edge backers, epoxy backers, river backers, any type of backer. And I've even started incorporating leather. I had never worked with leather before, so that was a challenge. It’s turned into one of the coolest pieces I've ever made, and it's so different compared with anything I've ever done before. I love adding pieces like that to my portfolio.

Interviewer: You and your husband recently relocated, and that’s meant relocating your business. What's the state of things at the moment?

Lindsay: We've always wanted to be up north. We love to hunt fish. We love the outdoors. That's just who we are as people. Having my own business gives me a bit of flexibility to move, but closing down my business for that period of time, and not knowing where we were going to end up, that was stressful.

The area we moved from was very “handmade local artisan” focused. And coming here, we weren’t sure if it’d be the same. I do have a decent following on Instagram, and that has helped. I feel like I’ve been able to focus more on quality followers versus quantity. So, I don't care that I don't have 200,000 followers because the 25,000 or so that I have, they're all people who have supported me for a really long time. For me, it's more important that you're finding customers who are valuing your work and what you're putting out. We've built a really good rapport, or I feel like we have, over the years.

I've been really blessed because of social media. I’ve been able to sell my work all around the world. I don't think there's many countries I haven't sold to. I had a piece recently go to Kazakhstan, and there’s been Germany, Hong Kong - all over the world - which is pretty incredible.

Moving here, I’ve seen that this area is quite artisan focused as well. A lot of small towns in Ontario are like that, and I think you just kind of have to find your people, right? It's still a niche market. So, it's not for everybody. And you can't try to market to everybody because then you talk to nobody, right? I guess if it was easy everybody would be doing it. So, there’s definitely going to be some challenges. But I think that if I’m using social media, and reaching the right markets, I can be positive about the future, for sure.

Interviewer: I heard another maker talking about the longevity of working with epoxy & resin, that it’s too useful of a medium to ever become passé. What do you think about that?

Lindsay: Epoxy accentuates the features in the wood; it doesn't have to detract. It can be gaudy, I suppose, but it's just so useful for stabilizing wood. I'll always use it as a tool, to stabilize pieces of wood that you would not otherwise be able to create furniture with.

There's always going to be a segment of people that don't like epoxy, that think it's plastic and unnatural. That's fine. But I would be sad if epoxy disappeared tomorrow and I don't think it ever would, because it's such a great tool. I use it to stabilize so many stunning pieces of wood that I wouldn't be able to use otherwise, like spalted maple, or really cool cookies cut from massive logs of walnut, where the inside is completely rotted out.

I do think the effect of resin overlays on tables, where there's a bit of a ridge, and the glossy look; I think those trends will probably come and go, and maybe even the cheese boards too. So, I'm always trying to come up with different things. To be successful in this type of business you do have to innovate. But yeah, I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. I think it's 100% proven as a tool for filling cracks and stabilizing pieces that you would never be able to use otherwise.

And a lot of those pieces are the most incredible pieces of wood I've ever seen in my life.

Interviewer: Mid to long-term, what are your goals for the business?

Lindsay: Building the new woodshop is, of course, a priority. Getting a space to start making cool artwork again. I also just relaunched my website. It's still not perfect. It's still a work in progress, but it looks decent now I think. I've kept my name since day one because I do have worries about changing my name just because I've built such a good following with that. We own 140 acres now, so the name Backwood Design has a lot of meaning in that now too.

I really want to start focusing more on my own collections versus custom pieces. And I have a small following on YouTube, so I really want to put some more focus on YouTube, doing tutorials and things like that. I feel like that's just another way for me to give back, because the online community has been amazing to me.

But I’m kind of just taking things one day at a time. I have a five-year plan, but it's probably going to change in the next five days, I'm sure.

Interviewer: As all five-year plans should, no?

Lindsay: Yeah, and up here what's super interesting is that there's a lot of sunken logs in the area - because there was a lot of logging activity here in the past. People are always finding them and pulling them up. So, I'm really hoping to get my hands on some. Everybody's so nice here, and when people find out that you do woodworking, they're like, “oh, have I got a piece for you.”

Interviewer: You're going to need your own sawmill then.

Lindsay: Yes. Actually, that's something I see maybe doing in the next 5 to 10 years. Having a sawmill in a detached shop with retail selling, woodworking supplies, and so on. I would really like to expand like that. There are so many things I want to do, but there's just not enough time in the day. Maybe if I could clone myself a couple times (laughter).

Interviewer: So, lastly, what’s been the secret to your success? Was it strategy, or did it all happen organically?

Lindsay: I want to say some of it was strategic and for sure some of it was. But I'll be honest, a lot of it's been day by day. I'm still very proud of the success that I've had and everything I've accomplished with my business, but I think sometimes I still struggle with having a balance between personal life, and sleep, and eating properly, and all that, and running a business, and just trying to do everything.

Over the years you learn things, right? You don't know what you don't know. So, there's nothing wrong with just starting. You're going to do it wrong. You're going to make mistakes. You just start and then as you learn these things, just incorporate them and make changes. I sometimes bite off more than I can chew. I try to do everything at once, instead of being a little bit more strategic, having a goal, writing things down and taking that kind of approach.

There're so many resources out there. You guys are really great. If they have questions regarding the products. Don't be afraid, just give it a go. It's so much fun and you never know where it'll take you.

I really want to just say thank you to EcoPoxy. From the day I started you guys have really supported me as an artist and as a business and sharing my work, and I really appreciate that.

Interviewer: Well, we see you as an innovator, and a really a great representative of our brand and products. We really appreciate you taking time today to talk to us, and hopefully our paths will continue to crisscross.

Lindsay: Well, the feeling is mutual. It's been a pleasure working with EcoPoxy over the years, and it's been a real pleasure chatting with you today.

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Many thanks again to Lindsay for taking the time to speak with us. Be sure to visit Backwood Design Co. online at backwooddesignco.com, and follow on Facebook (@backwooddesignco), Instagram (@backwooddesignco) and YouTube (@backwooddesignco).