While we resided in Europe, in the early 1960's, my parents became enamored with the furniture of Scandinavia. My father likes to recount how he walked into a furniture store in London and was bowled over by the smell of teak! The sleek lines, the simplicity of form, lent themselves to the unobstructed primacy of the material. The medium was the message: this was stuff that came from trees. We loved every piece we purchased, and we still have them. That's right; every single piece we acquired some fifty years ago has survived. Can we say this of most of the furniture constructed today? Even Scandinavian furniture has suffered a precipitous decline in quality of workmanship and materials. Where to go for furniture that does not feel like a disposable commodity?

I respect the elements of craftsmanship which have proved their worth over time. Let us not forget that we are working with wood; the gift of the forest. Wood is not an inert material. Long after the tree has been felled, it continues to exhibit a breathing, moving force within itself, and the maker who ignores these properties invites disaster.

Mortise-and-tenon joinery and dovetails are joinery of choice. Veneers are shop-sawn and far more substantial than their commercial counterpart. Dyes and colorants are eschewed. Natural grain and color are prized, and these are used in their best combination, to achieve harmony. The closer you look, the more you will find to appreciate.