Methods of Work

I take great personal pride in the quality and precision of my craftsmanship. And while I do employ a variety of modern machinery – especially for time consuming and repetitive tasks like milling and chopping lumber – I firmly believe there is no adequate substitute for hand tool work and the human touch, particularly when it comes to fine joinery work, and final smoothing and finishing of a surface.

Our furniture is important to us. How we choose to adorn our home or office says a great deal about who we are and what we value. And articles carefully handcrafted from natural materials are intrinsically more beautiful than machined items made from processed materials.

I use only the finest hardwoods and exotics. Each board is carefully examined and individually selected for color, texture and grain pattern to determine its best use, both aesthetically and structurally, for the piece. Boards for panels, for example, are chosen to ensure the grain pattern and color is compatible and pleasing.

The finish I prefer, and generally recommend, is a natural finish of hand rubbed penetrating oils topped with a thin layer of paste wax. This finish allows the colors and textures that nature provided us, with all its irregularities and nuances to show through. It’s a time honored finish, tough and durable, easy to maintain and easy to repair. New pieces designed to coordinate to an existing item, however, sometimes require a stained and varnished finish for compatibility. Stains and coating finishes, such as varnish or lacquer, are available.

My design philosophy is simple – I emphasize the balance of Form, Function, Fit and Finish. The goal of beauty and simplicity in form must always be balanced with the pragmatic. It is, after all, an article of furniture to be used often – if not every day – for a perfectly ordinary purpose. It must adhere well to its stated function. The Fit refers not only to the craftsmanship of the joinery, but also sound engineering to ensure structural integrity while maintaining authenticity to the design concept. The joinery must be clean and elegant in design, strong and durable in engineering, flawless in execution of craft.

My designs are heavily influenced by a number of factors. From the standpoint of other design styles, the three most important influences are the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19^th and early 20^th century; the American Shaker movement and traditional Japanese Tansu cabinetry. Seemingly very different and from vastly separate ages, there is an important common thread that holds these three together. Each was more than simply a style, but engender a philosophy, an ideal that was the underpinning for the style. The designs were the manifestations of how that ideal was actualized. I believe the strong emphasis on function and the fusion of both eastern and western design motifs yields simple yet beautiful designs.