During the past few years I have found myself encouraging each new client to take a more active role in the design process because it often leads to interesting results and helps to keep the process fresh.

I find it difficult at first to determine what a client actually sees when they look at a drawing. Even a photograph from a book or magazine can lead to very different interpretations of the design details.

Often a client needs to see a mock-up of a design. For the table I am currently working on the client knew exactly what she wanted but only after she was able to see it. How does one find just the right arc of a leg or choose just the right material? As the maker I have to interpret the clients’ intension but also see the techniques behind the creation of the form and the relative cost of each decision in the process.

If a client decides to use solids I usually suggest we carve or texture the surface. If veneer is chosen we use decorative inlay. The choices for the client often seem overwhelming. My function in the process is to guide the client and limit the choices until he or she discovers what they want within the parameters of their budget.

I have been a woodworker for over 30 years. Right from the beginning, even early in my career during the period while I moved from shop to shop to gain experience, I began designing and building furniture for people on my own after hours. Inspiration came from what I saw being built on the shop floor and especially from the books on famous designers and period furniture I began to collect.

The design process itself can somewhat exhausting; like a musician trying to write a hit song over and over again. One-off pieces don’t really make sense economically unless viewed as prototypes for later production. Sometimes I would drift away and concentrate on building commercial pieces, but always I would return to the design/build process and the challenge of trying to create something truly original. The Holy Grail for me (as well as many others) is an original chair form.

Over the years I have had the opportunity to design and build in collaboration with a number of talented people. The experience is always different and very unpredictable. I remember working with someone years ago who I felt seemed to view everything contrary or upside down to what I expected and it made the process great fun.