| Contemporary Studio Furniture | ||
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The furniture you see on this Web site is contemporary, but it has deep historical roots. The nature of wood hasn't changed in thousands of years, and neither have the techniques used to work with it. Techniques such as joinery (shaping precise mechanical joints between pieces of wood), lamination (shaping wood by gluing together many thin layers of wood), and veneering (gluing very thin layers of wood to a thicker core) have been used by woodworkers since the time of ancient Egypt. I build using such traditional techniques. Techniques such as these are necessary to make furniture that lasts many years and in many climates. When people talk about "fine furniture," they are referring to furniture made in this way: furniture that will last for hundreds of years! |
My pieces belong to another tradition too. The tradition of "craft furniture." In the late 1800's, many furniture makers became disillusioned with the effects of the industrial revolution, and formed a movement to make quality furniture by hand. The Arts and Crafts movement, as it was called, looked back fondly to the days when furniture was made by guilds. Today, the ideals of craft furniture are embodied in the Studio Furniture movement. Studio furniture tends to focus on the artistic elements of furniture design. Makers are typically self employed. They work alone or share a workshop/studio with a few other makers. They design and produce one-of-a-kind pieces commissioned by clients, or small production runs of pieces for sale in galleries and shops. |
Left to right: Rocking Chair
by D. Doerntlein, Pie Safe by J. Hohner, |
| © Jeff Hohner |
