Slideshow image
Art Nouveau Mahogany Chair
[Art Nouveau Mahogany Chair]

[Art Nouveau Mahogany chair]

In the mid-1980s, I designed this chair for an alumni exhibition of the North Bennet Street School, where I had learned my craft. Unlike many students and even graduates of the furniture program, I was ready to step back from the traditional designs that we had been taught and branch out on my own. This chair was an early departure from classic styles, but it definitely uses classical chair proportions and construction methods.

The crest, backsplat and apron provide an early example of the carved lines that would emerge throughout my later work.

Another original element is the curved, carved, and bent-laminated bracing that unifies the base and legs of the chair. It serves as a focal point of the chair, while providing exceptional strength.