My interest in art and design began at a young age. The New England homes of my parents and grandparents contained examples of early American and European furniture. As a young person, art was one of my strongest interests. I spent long hours engrossed in drawing and building imaginary worlds. In school and on my own time I sculpted and studied the works of Rodin, Matisse, the Fauvists, natural objects, and favorite architectural pieces. While at Harvard and Colorado College (BA 1975), my academic classes were in philosophy, economics, and political science. Later studies led me to furniture makers Sam Maloof and Art Carpenter at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, Colorado, as well as classes in joinery, drafting, and figure drawing at various other institutions.  

Having considered pursuing a degree in architecture right out of college, I decided to start instead with a few years of practical experience. I found work in a cabinet shop and discovered the work to be interesting in its own right. I set up shop with a friend and commenced the journey of learning to run a business and manage construction. After a number of years my love of drawing led me from cabinetry to the making of carvings and inlays in entry doors and cases. The images were of animal and bird forms arcing around one another. In looking back I see the same fascination in the interplay of curved lines that has guided me in the subsequent years of my current furniture business.

As I look back I realize that I grew up surrounded by treasured objects. Most of the things around me, be they letter openers or vases, had a story and a meaning. They had been handed down by a relative, made by a special person, or purchased in a special place. In our work today, the challenges are ongoing as we seek precision and efficiency in the processes of construction and grace and comfort in the look and function of a piece, which we hope will in its turn be treasured.