Backfield Woodworking Co.

Backfield Woodworking Co. is a Canadian furniture business and local Ontario shop based in Bowmanville. Ryan, the owner and creator, makes a mix of made in Canada furniture, decor, and products for your home.

Scroll down to learn more about Backfield Woodworking Co. and what inspired Ryan to get started in business.

What inspired you to start your business?

A few things came together at once — but the name says it all.

I grew up in Courtice, Ontario, spending every spare hour in the open fields behind our neighbourhood. We built forts from scrap wood, biked, climbed, and stayed outside until we were called in. We called it the backfield. Those fields are housing subdivisions now.

My grandfather was a carpenter. My dad was a skilled woodworker. I grew up around people who made things with their hands and never thought much of it — until I moved back to Bowmanville with my wife, bought a house, and reconnected with woodworking while renovating it. The shop grew. People started asking me to build things for them. Backfield became a business.

The name is a way of honouring the places and the people that shaped me — and bringing that connection to nature back into the homes people are building for themselves.

How would you describe your business?

Backfield Woodworking Co. is a one-person handcrafted hardwood furniture and homeware studio based in Bowmanville, Ontario. Every piece — from statement furniture to everyday homeware — is built from solid Canadian hardwood, made to order, and designed to earn a permanent place in the rooms that see the most use.

The philosophy behind everything I make is simple: purpose, balance, warmth. Furniture and homeware built to last decades, not years. No flat pack, no veneer, no piece designed to be replaced.

I find design inspiration in the places I’ve travelled — the Narrows Collection, for example, was inspired by the sandstone walls of Zion National Park. And for every piece that leaves the shop, one tree is planted through One Tree Planted.

What are your bestselling products?

The Nest tray is a close second. Available in three sizes and five wood species, it finds its place in just about every room — bedside table, coffee table, kitchen counter, bathroom vanity.

Why do you think they’re so popular?

The Pizza Wheel has a story behind it — the Narrows Collection is inspired by the layered sandstone walls of Zion National Park, and people respond to that connection between a place in nature and an object in their home. The contrast between walnut and white oak creates something that’s genuinely hard to look away from.

The Nest works because it solves a real problem elegantly. Every surface in a home accumulates things. A well-proportioned tray made from solid hardwood brings order to that without making it feel clinical. It’s simple and it belongs wherever you put it.

What’s your personal favourite product?

The Harrison coffee table — solid white oak, through mortise and tenon joinery, removable top with threaded inserts, and a slatted lower shelf. It’s named after my son. It’s the piece that taught me the most about how a well-proportioned object can completely change how a room feels. The joinery is visible and intentional — it’s not hidden away, it’s the point.

What I’m most excited about right now is a wardrobe commission I’m working toward — a large built-in piece in solid hardwood. It’s a new direction for Backfield and the kind of build that pushes everything I know about joinery, proportion, and scale. I’m also building out the Harrison collection and developing a brand new collection called Brynn — named after my daughter.

What’s your favourite local Ontario business?

Roam Coffee and The Tilted Glass – both in the Durham Region and both worth seeking out.