Shop? What shop? Don't you mean studio?
Actually, I have always been a designer-builder. These days I produce custom furniture, doors, cabinetry and one-off lighting fixtures from my fully-equipped workshop. I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands, especially when it involves fine craftsmanship; in fact, the excitement of designing and building furniture is what compelled me to the trades, way back in high school. Come to think of it, I can trace the origins of everything I am today back to that first shop class. The notion that I could translate an abstract idea into three-dimensional reality using nothing more than tools and my own hands thrilled me then, as it does now. But I digress…
A client recently commissioned two pieces of Craftsman furniture from me. This bookshelf and coffee table represent my interpretation of classic Gustav Stickley pieces. I crafted both pieces from solid cherry; they feature through-mortise and tenon construction and a natural, hand-rubbed finish. I couldn't source the finish I wanted, so I made my own.