Oftentimes, the wood furniture that we interact with is heavily rounded on the edges, covered in a thick plastic film, and devoid of its history. As a kid I remember climbing trees, the feel of the bark, its thick texture offering added grip and the occasional scrape. When making outdoor sofas from Pomelle Eucalyptus, I chose minimal interventions, embracing the natural form of the tree, and smoothing only the surfaces in direct contact with the body.
Michigan Mappa Burl Shelves
Salk Insitute/Julius Shulman
I learned of the beauty of drainage by a bricklayer at a site visit. While I was fantasizing about the concepts, materials, and proportions, he asked, “and how does it drain?”. This seemingly minuscule detail can make or break a project, and in the case of Louis Kahn’s Salk Institute, it is the trardemark of the project.
A collection of cast bronze vessels by artist Jonathan Cross without matching saucers led me to design a set of Mappa Burl shelves that celebrated a drainage system. Utilizing a system of wicks and brass channels milled at calculated angles, the system drains the overflow from each watering into a collection of polished brass vessels by Alma Allen.
Industry Conference Table
When my client commissioned this piece, I was deeply consumed by the Japanese tea ceremony. I found the humble beginnings of the tea ceremony even more enchanting than my own experiences. A brief summary - temporary natural structures, raw imperfect vessels, a lack of ornament, and the imperial court codifying the ceremony for their aesthetic enjoyment.
I saw the process of doing business a ritual and the participants part of the ceremony gathered around and interacting with the conference table. So much more than a flat surface with data and power outlets, the Industry Table features a floating “tea tray” in patinated brass with each element of the business deal on display in customized trays.
The base features interlocking brass and Walnut legs which support a bookmatched 16 foot California Walnut top.
Communal Desk
Harvest Table II
Throne No. 2
In college, i remember learning about the taoist concept of the uncarved block - a state of pure potential. I think of every piece of wood as having this potential. indecision and poor decisions lead to a failure of potential. the more beautiful, large, or rare a piece of wood, the greater the weight of each decision.
this piece began as a somewhat cylindrical cut from a Blue Gum Eucalyptus tree trunk. The pock-marked texture of the cambium and bark make this particular Eucalyptus extremely rare as they typically have a less interesting smooth surface. brought over from australia during the California gold rush, they were planted in large plantations for the purpose of making furniture and railroad ties. the wood was too dense and hard to drive a railroad spike into, and was too prone to warping and cracking to make fine furniture.
marking the beginning of an ongoing series that I call tree form sculptures, This piece began with a fascination with the idea of inhabiting a tree. as a child i used to climb trees, admiring them from their exterior and extending my own limb to climb each of the trees limbs towards the crown. WOrking with lumber and slabs allowed me the opportunity to see inside the tree for the first time, shaping one or several of its many pieces into a greater whole. working with large, solid sections of trees allows me the opportunity to truly inhabit a tree. by sculpting the previously uncarved block into a form that invites the human body to inhabit it, I believe this series is capable of reconnecting inhabitants with nature in a new and exciting way.
Athol Desk
An old growth Redwood slab, charred by a fire which spread in the barn where it was drying, features a recessed compartment beneath two cast bronze tree bark doors.
Three of the four legs are crafted from musical grade Oregon Walnut with interlocking cast bronze elements. A hidden modesty panel allows for cords to travel into the hollow bronze fourth leg.
Chinatown
The Harvest Table
Crafted from a single slab of California Claro Walnut that balances beautiful grain and heavy figure against natural imperfections, the top features Taylor's signature polished brass Corsets and a polished brass T-spline atop a geometric bronze base.
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