The BLAKE table in situ (photograph by Mimi Gibion for Remodelista) I call my latest table design the BLAKE as an homage to the pioneering surfer/shaper Tom Blake, inventor of the hollow surfboard. BLAKE is a minimalist sculpture as much as a functional dining table, a floating white torsion box, compatible with Shaker and surfer alike. […]
Category Archives: furniture design
Shed Barstools
The stools look great lined up at Shed’s lovely zinc wine bar (photo: Naomi Mcleod). I’m very proud of my new barstools for Healdsburg Shed. I designed and made a batch of eight for use at Shed’s wine bar, and they will soon be available for sale as a made-to-order item for Shed, along with […]
Reconsidering Shellac
Shellac is a natural by-product of the lac beetle’s secretions. Like so many craftsy kids who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, I had my own rock polisher, a wood-burning set, access to my dad’s tools, collections of yarn and twine, old National Geographics, mucelage, rubber cement and shellac, and a basement, attic and […]
Bull Kelp Harvest
Each winter since we’ve lived on the Sonoma Coast and made a daily practice of walking the beaches, I become mildly obsessed with the bull kelp that washes ashore in great heaps after storms. I’ve tried weaving the kelp into seat blanks, drying it as an iodine-rich jerky, and brewing it for a savory stock. […]
Furnishing Healdsburg Shed
Early sketch of my Shed Cafe Chair concept. I think of the new line of furniture I designed for Shed as belonging to the same extended family. Consisting of just four unique pieces- a café chair, a barstool, a ‘community’ table and a multi-use, ‘demonstration’ table, the line evolved slowly over the past two years, […]
Shed Tabletop Installed
The completed Demonstration Table is just over 14′ long Yesterday I installed the top to my Demonstation Table for Shed. The table will spend the next year in Cindy’s studio warehouse in Healdsburg while the building is under construction nearby. By this time, the stickered wood comprising the base will be dry, and turned into […]
Stickered Table for Shed (process)
Two identical bases of green pecan, ready to receive the top, a giant slab of sycamore. Whenever I design and make a new piece of furniture, I’m always keenly aware of how it will age, and how the piece might transform over time to encourage and support future, as yet unforeseeable patterns of use. I’ve […]