| Locally sourced, seriously exquisite furniture "I love gnarly, earthy wood that shows the idiosyncrasies of nature," said Jonah Zuckerman, owner and designer at City Joinery in Easthampton, Mass. "Until five years ago, I got the majority of sycamore that resulted from clearing done for developments around places like Philadelphia and Baltimore. The open plan workshop that is City Joinery is based in the basement of a remodeled mill and is full of woods and a vast array of hand tools. He also uses myrtle from the northwest and copious amounts of walnut. Zuckerman's custom-made pieces often have metal such as pewter and brass incorporated as an accent. Zuckerman said that while his furniture is finely crafted, he doesn't like to show "the presence of hand. "We're relatively low-tech, for better or for worse. "It wasn't a piece of cake. Zuckerman said that each worker usually has their own piece of furniture to build from his designs, though occasionally they work together on more advanced pieces. I like to produce the look of modernization with the flush of nature," he said. " City Joinery now has three employees. There were lean years," he said. I don't object to it [machines]. I look for really interesting wood from as close around here as possible. "I like weird American wood. " Zuckerman's favorite and signature wood is American sycamore. In a few short years, Zuckerman has developed a clientele and learned how to price and market his designs. . |
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Locally sourced, seriously exquisite furniture
