solid. exposed. grounded.

I designed and built this walnut lounge chair in the Winter of 2019 during my bachelor’s degree. It was a challenging, rewarding, and immersive experience! After the build process, my chair was exhibited in the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum at the University of Oregon along with the 15 other student furniture pieces in the course. In May of 2019, my chair was selected for the “Made for Interiors" exhibition at the Maude Kerns Art Center in Eugene, where it was on display with other local handcrafted furniture for 2 months!

Two ordinary objects. Both timeless and elegant in material. They belong on their own, but speak to one another in form and purpose.

As a response to the elegance and ordinary nature of Dirk Van Erp’s silver pitcher which could be found in any household, The Hoek Chair was designed to belong in any ordinary setting. Both objects speak true to their function, an obvious plea to be used.

It’s angles, spacings, and heights are reminiscent of the pitcher’s proportions, where each angle in the chair is a subtle abstraction of the pitcher’s curves. The Hoek chair sits wide and low, as a reflection of the silver pitcher’s low center of gravity.

The Hoek Chair celebrates its own construction through exposed joinery, as a connection to Van Erp’s work during the Arts and Crafts movement. All exposed joinery was cut and chiseled by hand.

With influence from woodworkers George Nakashima and Hans Wegner, the angle chair keeps true to its material, celebrating the natural beauty of the wood, with a natural oil finish. The walnut is intended to be paired with a sapphire blue upholstered cushion which will be custom fabricated.

What I love about this project: the process of creating a beautiful object from my own hands that celebrates its own construction! I loved woodworking and developing a new skill for handcrafting furniture!