Chairs
I think I've made more chairs than any other type of furniture. I've always considered them very intimate pieces because no other type of furniture come in to more physical contact with the person using them, so not only do they have to look good, they need to be comfortable too.
Madeline Rocking Chair
Since I named a cradle after my niece Lilly, I decided to name the rocking chair I made for them after my other niece, Madeline. My first original design for a rocking chair. It's sculpted spindles, that offer great lumbar support, are shaped into the headcrest and are turned before terminating into the seat. The arms are blended into the back posts in a concave shape to provide support when your are sitting to the side. Available in a sold wood or upholstered seat.
Maloof Rocking Chair
Many woodworking enthusiasts should be able to recognize this iconic design by woodworker, Sam Maloof. I started furniture making because I wanted one of these chairs really bad, but it was well out of a 22-year-old's pay grade. At the time, all I had to go by was Sam's video, and the photos from two books, Sam Maloof Woodworker and The Furniture of Sam Maloof. My first renditions were a little rough but through a lot of practice, I learned how to make shape the wood to make the graceful sculptural shapes found in Maloof furniture. Click here to read about my history and interactions with Sam. Although I've learned a lot making Maloof rockers, I've moved on to make my own designs. Sam passed in 2009, but if you want a Maloof original, they're available through auction houses or I've seen them at occasionally at Moderne Gallery, in Philadelphia, but be prepared to drop at least $50,000. The only woodworkers that have access to Sam's original templates are the guys that continue to run his current shop. If you really wanted me to make one for you, I guess I would. My original designs will have more value in the future, though. The price would start at $7,500, with 10% being donated to the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation.
Conard Chair
This is an original design but it was made to match the design of an existing buffet, made from cherry, spalted maple and wenge. The client wanted a clean design with cabriole legs and an upholstered seat, so I came up with this. Even though this wasn't a reproduction of a specific chair, I can take design elements from other types of furniture to make something new.
Reproduction Chairs
Sometimes clients have bought pieces of chairs in the past and would like to buy more but the design is no longer available. A client of mine had bought a larger dining table and wanted to buy more of these caned-back, oak side chairs but they had been discontinued about 30 years ago. I took one of his existing chairs and built four more, with slightly narrower seats.