The Carriage House – a leather collection from the age of the carriage

A September study – Volume I-D.

Before the engine, a journey moved at the speed of a horse, and the vehicle was half the occasion. The Carriage House is a small leather collection from that world – coaches built for the long road, and wheels kept true by hand.

First, we sent a stagecoach down the long side of a luggage tag, rounded body slung on its leather braces and a trunk strapped to the roof rail, and set THE SCENIC ROUTE beneath the road. A gift that tells a traveler you know how they like to travel.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a horse-drawn stagecoach above the words THE SCENIC ROUTE for The Carriage House leather collection.

A Poppy Red leather luggage tag blind stamped with a horse-drawn stagecoach and the words THE SCENIC ROUTE from The Carriage House collection.

A Forest Green leather luggage tag blind stamped with a horse-drawn stagecoach and the words THE SCENIC ROUTE from The Carriage House collection.

The black tag carries the design in gold, the way coach bodies carried their gilt scrollwork.

A Black leather luggage tag stamped in gold with a horse-drawn stagecoach and the words THE SCENIC ROUTE from The Carriage House collection.

Next, a coach wheel for the pocket, tall hub and staggered spokes, with STILL ROLLING carried around the tire. Two words that do the work of an entire retirement card.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a carriage wheel between the words STILL ROLLING for The Carriage House leather collection.

A Sicilian Brown leather keychain blind stamped with a carriage wheel and the words STILL ROLLING from The Carriage House collection.

On the black fob the wheel turns in gold – wheels always wore the brightest paint on the carriage.

A Black leather keychain stamped in gold with a carriage wheel and the words STILL ROLLING from The Carriage House collection.

Then, ORIGINAL PAINT. Among old carriages the highest compliment goes to the one that kept its first paint, pin lines faded and character complete, so we framed the words in a coach-panel wreath whose coachlines break honestly where the years rubbed through. A gift for the man who has earned the same compliment.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a worn coach-door panel framing the words ORIGINAL PAINT for The Carriage House leather collection.

The kit stacks honeyed russet over dark espresso – pull-up leather that ages the same honest way.

Indian Summer and Dark Espresso leather dopp kits blind stamped with ORIGINAL PAINT in a coach-door frame from The Carriage House collection.

For the catchall tray, the wicker phaeton with its shafts resting on the ground, going nowhere on purpose, under NO HURRY. This is the tray where the keys land when the day finally slows to a walk.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a resting wicker phaeton above the words NO HURRY for The Carriage House leather collection.

An Arizona leather catchall tray blind stamped with a resting wicker phaeton and the words NO HURRY from The Carriage House collection.

And finally, TRUE THE WHEEL. A wheelwright trues a wheel by spinning it slowly against a fixed pointer and taking the wobble out a shaving at a time – sound practice for a week of pages, too. One journal in caramel, one in deep wine, the color old phaeton wheels were painted.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a carriage wheel in a truing stand above the words TRUE THE WHEEL for The Carriage House leather collection.

A Caramel leather journal blind stamped with a wheel in a truing stand and the words TRUE THE WHEEL from The Carriage House collection.

A Sangria leather journal blind stamped with a wheel in a truing stand and the words TRUE THE WHEEL from The Carriage House collection.

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If you'd like these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.