photography: Ralph Anderson
"324 Plus" CD Storage Cabinet by Bobby Michelson, constructed with quarter-sawn English brown oak, ebony, and ebonized maple |
Every cottage tells a story through its furnishings. Cottage owners love mixing lowbrow with high style and old with new to create personal style. At the heart of that individual expression is an attitude that embraces timelessness over trend and quality over quantity. In the same way, a small community of artisan furnituremakers craft one-of-a-kind designs built to last for generations.
"People buying studio furniture aren't just getting a piece of furniture," says Birmingham, Alabama, woodworker Bobby Michelson. "They're buying a piece of art and the reputation of its maker. People appreciate the well-made antiques of their grandparents but then buy disposable furniture." Studio pieces are typically original designs created one at a time, or in very limited production runs. Talented makers don't hide joints or natural grain behind dark wood stains, they typically highlight them as a testament to their skills. Artisan-crafted furniture is expensive in the short term, but can become a valued heirloom. Buyers are usually looking beyond practicality or investment when they chose a one-of-a-kind creation. They're buying it as a piece of very personal artwork they can use every day. "When you spend money on studio furniture, you want to feel a connection with the person who made it," says furnituremaker Owen Edwards of Caspar, California. "We don't feel a connection with a mass-produced item in the same way as a handmade object of significance. A finely crafted table will be passed to other generations, and then it starts to have history."
photography: Ralph Anderson
Walnut slab console from the Nature or Nurture series by Bobby Michelson, constructed with
air-dried walnut and ash |
You won't find studio furniture in mass-market stores. Andrew Glasgow, executive director of The Furniture Society, suggests four sources: high-end crafts shows, Web sites, art galleries, and furniture schools or universities. Here are some sources around the U.S.
The Furniture Society
Asheville, North Carolina
828/255-1949 or furnituresociety.org
Click on the link to the Maker's Portfolio to see a state-by-state directory of furnituremakers. Click on the Resources link, then Education, to find links to schools specializing in furniture design. Fine Furnishing Shows
finefurnishingsshow.com
Furniture shows in Milwaukee and Providence Smithsonian Craft Show
Washington, D.C.
smithsoniancraftshow.com Crafts America Shows
Furniture shows in Washington, D.C.; Westchester County, New York; and Palm Beach, Florida
craftsamericashows.com Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show
pffshow.com Bobby Michelson
Ramwood Furniture
Birmingham, Alabama
205/323-5070 or bobbymichelson.com Anthony Kahn Furniture
Arcata, California
707/822-6722 or anthonykahn.com Owen M. Edwards
Caspar, California
707/964-0636 or mendocinowoodworking.com/owenedwards William Zimmer Gallery
Mendocino, California
707/937-5121 or williamzimmergallery.com Pritam & Eames
East Hampton, New York
631/324-7111 or pritameames.com | 
