Inspiration

Welcome! This section is devoted fine examples of craftsmanship of all types wooden. 

Arts & Crafts /  Greene & Greene Furniture

• Darrell Peart - Furnituremaker If you appreciate the Greene & Greene style, Darrell Peart is your man. The brothers Greene, Charles and Henry, were Arts & Crafts era designers of homes and furniture.  Their style has quite a bit more oriental influence than say Gustav Stickley or Frank Lloyd Wright.  The Greene brothers are probably best recognized for their use of the "cloud lift" element in their furniture and doors.  The Gamble House, in Pasadena, CA, is their surviving masterpiece complete with custom furnishings and art glass.  Darrell Peart (remember him?) executes pieces in the Greene & Greene style better than anyone that I've run across.  A really nice touch is that his website  has a "work in progress" section that contains shop drawings and technique photos.  Oh yes, and Mr. Peart has a new book on his favorite subject.   • Thomas Starbuck Stockton - Furnituremaker Again, if you appreciate Greene & Greene you will find Mr. Stockton's website inspirational.  If the Brothers Greene are not quite your style, then perhaps his superbly crafted traditional or oriental inspired pieces will catch your fancy.     • NEW Celski Studios Tim Celski builds wonderful Arts & Crafts style inspired outdoor furniture.  He has adapted several items, including Adirondack chairs and benches, to Greene & Greene style.  Check out his Gallery section.     • Gallenburg Studio Thomas J. Gallenburg works in the Mission and Arts & Crafts styles using traditional joinery and some spectacular woods. The site features many inspirational photos.   • Thomas Strangeland - Artist / Craftsman Another Greene & Greene inspired furniture maker who has an impressive portfolio.  Check out his Gamble House Rocking Chair with its cloud-lift features and his Pyramid Leg Dining Table with a lightweight Arts & Crafts design.    • NEW Mission Living Furniture Browse through the many photos on this website for ideas about shapes and forms, especially adaptations of the style to pieces not usually seen in the original (i.e. coffee tables, media cabinets, computer credenzas, etc.).  If you see something that you like, but feel it a bit advanced or involved, take a look at their line of unfinished furniture kits.

Fine Reproduction Furniture - styles prior to 20th Century

• Robert L. Millard - Cabinetmaker Mr. Millard is truly a gifted cabinetmaker specializing in Federal style furniture reproductions.  Mr. Millard, recently featured in Woodworker's Journal Ezine, maintains a website that should serve as inspiration to all woodworkers.  I am listing his site not only for inspiration, but because he has graciously provided a methods of work section for two of his reproduction pieces, a Chest on Frame (c.1775) and a Tea Chest (c.1810). The Woodworker's Journal Ezine article can be found here.

Rustic / Vernacular Furniture • Robby V Pederson's - RVP 1875 Here is a link to a true galoot furniture maker, Robby Pederson of Story City, Iowa.  Robby handcrafts furniture the old-fashioned way.  First he chops down the tree using an axe and bucks and mills his lumber to size using a portable milling machine.  Then using traditional hand tools, he dimensions the lumber and  builds the furniture.  Lastly he prepares finishes from natural and traditional materials, such as walnuts, raspberries, and onion peels.  Robby has put together an interesting site for the Galoot in all of us.

Contemporary / Studio

• Roger Combs - Woodworker I believe that you will find Mr. Combs' work an inspiration in wood selection and the mastery of shape and form.   • Fine Handmade Furniture by John Moldovan This craftsman's work features clean-line contemporary design that allows the beauty of the wood and the joinery to take center stage. His line features rocking chairs, stools, and desk chairs.    • NEW Matt Jones - Furniture, Art, and Interior Woodworking Mr. Jones displays an eclectic gallery of work on his website.  He includes several views of each of his pieces, which range from chairs, to casework, to cabinetry.

Collections

• Design In Wood The link above will take you to the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association's Photo Gallery page where you can view past entries in their Design In Wood competition.   This annual woodworking competition, encompassing everything from studio furniture to model ship building, has become one of the premier annual juried exhibitions in North America.   • Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers This Broken up into the categories of Shaker, Mission, Traditional, and Contemporary, this website will lead you to 29 guild masters and their portfolios.  Enjoy.    • Woodworks This competition hosted by the Victorian Wood Workers Association maintains a photo gallery of entries.    • H.L.Chalfant Antiques Here you can view an ever changing gallery of the "real thing," if antique reproduction furniture is your thing. H.L. Chalfant Antiques offers several pages full of images and descriptions conveniently broken out into various categories.    • NEW The Arts And Crafts Home Here is another antique seller with loads of photographs - this time in England.  As the name suggests, they are heavy on A&C, but they list other styles as well.  Great site.   • Gamble House Virtual Archives The University of California at Berkley maintains a virtual collection of historic and contemporary photos, blueprints, plans, and drawings for this most famous intact Greene & Greene designed house.  Not only did Henry and Charles Greene design the house but also most of the furnishings.  This superb collection provides a glimpse of the extensive work that the brothers put into this extraordinary home. The photos are zoom-able so that you can view minute details at surprising clarity.

Objet d'art

• David Selditz - Woodworking Mr. Selditz is primarily a box maker.  His work displays a heavy oriental influence with free flowing lines, complex shapes, and exotic wood choices. Check out his portfolio section - very nice.

Mixed Media

• NEW Theodore Ellison Designs Mr. Ellison is a glass artist extraordinaire.  While you can spend hours admiring his work, you also get to see some wonderful door, window, and architectural work.  Most of Mr. Ellison's work can be classified as Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, and Prairie inspired.  Enjoy.