My Craftsmanship
My goal is to design and build handcrafted furniture that is beautiful to look at as well as be durable enough to withstand the test of time
There are four things that I always try to incorporate into my furniture design Projects.
1.) Functional; The piece of furniture has to do what its intended job is. If it is a chest of drawers it has to hold your cloths.
2.) Comfortable; It has to be easy to use. There is nothing worse than sitting in a chair that hurts your back, or makes you sit at a funny angle
3.) Stand the test of time; My goal is to build quality handcrafted furniture that you will be able to pass down for generations to come. I use time tested old world joinery such as dove tails and mortise and tenon joints to ensure the piece will last.
4.) Attractive or Visually stimulating; Its got to look good! I take care in selecting pieces of hardwood, paying special attention to how the grain flows through the furniture and how the coloring of each board compliments one other.
A little about my background
As a kid I was always more excited to hang out with my father and watch the woodworking shows on PBS than I was about watching Saturday morning cartoons. I have always admired the works of those craftsmen, and as I studied furniture I grew to admire the greats such as Green & Green, and Stickley.
When I first started building furniture I built replicas of furniture that I had found inspiring to me. As a result I have become very familiar with the Shaker and Craftsmen style of furniture building. Looking back at some of the furniture I have built, I still see the fun in building the piece, and I would enjoy building it all over again. When I look forward to my next project I am excited to see my new creation come to life. As my skill set develops with each project so does my creativity of design ability.
Designing furniture on paper is one thing but to actually put saw to wood and bring my vision to life is challenging. Now that I have developed my woodworking skill set to an ability to build my visions, it has really opened my creativity up to being able to design and build new ideas and develop my own style.
In developing my style I am still drawn towards many of the elements of the Craftsmen style furniture, such as the clean lines and the proportions of the pieces. The direction I in vision myself working towards is to add other elements such as color using different types of woods. I am trying to stay away from dies and stains to color the wood and instead use the woods natural color and beauty to achieve the results I am looking for.
If you would like me to build a custom handmade piece of furniture for you please send an e-mail with your design thoughts, a sketch, or any questions you may have to BrianB@BenhamDesignConcepts.com