Commission

When asked by a client to design and build a piece, this is my philosophy.

I find that the most aesthetically pleasing period reproductions have a rhythm to the proportions, just as in classical architecture. The ancient architects used columns and scrolls to create rhythm and movement—a visual poetry. And with furniture, one isn’t restricted to working with proportion; one can also take advantage of the nature of the material. For example, the grain of the wood can be used to place emphasis, to guide the eye to certain features. There’s no limit to what can be done with classical forms in furniture.

When I design and build a piece, even though new, it’s made in the tradition of another age because I understand the design system of that time. I can see the piece in my mind’s eye even before I begin to build. That’s the same imagination that a cabinetmaker living hundreds of years ago would have used when a client made a request for a certain piece.

The woods that I use come from lumber stock that was cut 80 years ago, from a region of the southern Appalachians that is now part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

I use period-appropriate joinery techniques on each commissioned piece, creating hand-cut dovetails and mortise and tenon joints. All ornamentation, including carving, turning, inlay, and veneering, is also done by hand, using period techniques and sometimes even period tools.