In the larger sense of things, I think of ownership of ideas the same way I think of ownership of land or water. This stuff isn’t ours to own, really. We share it, take care of it, maybe even develop it, and ultimately, we return to it. The concept of owning land is a way …
I began chair making in the early ’80s following the tutelage of Jenny Alexander’s book Make a Chair from a Tree. It took a few years for me to find my own voice in chair design, but by the late ’80’s I began to feel more at ease in my design experiments. By the early …
@bearkatwood writes in, “What prompted you to make such a bold departure from the Appalachian post and rung chair you made for so long, and in what direction would you like to steer your design style in the future?” Well, if, there’s a lot of missing pieces in what most people have seen and what will …
Rex B. writes in, “Is burl wood acceptable for chairs, seats, and backs, and if so, are there any special techniques that should be used with burl wood? Obviously, it will vary from tree to tree and species to species, and shouldn’t be used, and should be without cracks or inclusions.” Well, that’s for sure …
I received this question in episode 2 of the Ask Brian Boggs Show: How can I direct myself to the right furniture and style of making for me? I think that starting out now would be exponentially more difficult than starting out when I did, and that is because the number of venues for getting …
I received this question in episode 2 of the Ask Brian Boggs Show: Brian, looking in your crystal ball, which trends do you see that really interest you, and maybe good trends to pursue? That’s a little dusty to look through at the moment. I don’t see what’s coming. I see what I want to …
I received this question in episode 2 of the Ask Brian Boggs Show: What’s the most important thing to nail when building a chair? Well, there are three things that have to be successful for a chair to be worth making to start with. If it’s a chair it should be comfortable and worth sitting …
I received this question in episode 2 of the Ask Brian Boggs Show: How do you store your wood shapes in digital format for long-term use? Martti Honkakoski asked, “In episode one, you said you no longer have much need to prepare prototypes for sit quality of a chair because you have lines, angles and …
I received this question in episode 2 of the Ask Brian Boggs Show: What is your design thinking process? Do you think only in comfort or aesthetics, and is sustainability a part of your process? This really opens up a huge arena that I think by itself would fill a book, but briefly, the design …
I received this question in episode 1 of the Ask Brian Boggs Show: When designing a new chair, do you have a preferred material that you use, or is it just whatever you have laying around? I think that the person asking this question is referring to the prototyping process, and we keep wood on hand …
The Material I Use When Prototyping A New Chair Design Read More »
