Design Sense and Sensibility

For my first blog, I want to tell you about my design sensibilities.

I tend to be a minimalist. Proportions are more important than flourishes, form follows function and less is always more. Joinery can be part of the decoration but not so far as to define the piece. I love using contrasting woods. Lately, I have been seeing how little wood can go into a piece. A large, clunky, over-built piece is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. The Shakers inherently understood this. One of my favorite pieces I made recently is a small box made with 1/8" cherry and 1/8" box joints. The box joint fingers show a contrast and make for an elegant yet subtle effect.

Proportions are important in a number of ways. For furniture, ergonomics are paramount. A chair with the wrong proportions will simply not get used, for example. I can't imagine a worse fate for a piece. I think about the golden ratio a lot when designing. It has been understood and adhered to for 2500 years. You see examples everywhere you look. You don't see a lot of square windows for example. There is simply something fundamental in human perception that makes the 1.6 to 1 ratio feel right for us. Also, I make a lot of boxes so getting the size and proportions right is key to making them functional for the intended use. Often it's just a question of common sense. Below is a gift box for a bottle of wine I made. Without the right proportions, it would look strange.

Joinery is often hidden but a piece that incorporates joints as part of it's decoration can be beautiful and gives the viewer a sense of structural integrity. I am a big fan of box joints with contrasting wood. The exposed joinery draws the viewer in and gives them an understanding of more than just the surface of the object. Dovetails in drawers are a good example. They say "this is a quality piece" to even the most casual viewer. Even something as simple as a spline in a mitered joint tells a story. It's understandable why much of commercial furniture has hidden joints - much easier to make and requires a lower level of workmanship. Look at the beauty of a Greene and Greene design for a real contrast. Here's a box that we use to store a cribbage board, cards and rules in. It's made from cherry and black walnut and uses variable sized box joint fingers. I like the way the walnut contrasts with the cherry.