a sea lion briefly beached itself on Doran Beach this morning as we were walking by During our morning walk along Doran Beach, Ene and I were greeted by a friendly sea lion, who watched us from the surf before proceeding to briefly beach himself within yards of us as if to say hello. We’ve […]
Category Archives: studio process
Sitting with Nature
With enough rainfall, Estero Americano drains to the sea, becoming seasonally tidal My favorite chair, by far, is an ocean kayak. To unwind after an intense week of new projects, I spent a quiet afternoon idly paddling down Estero Americano, my favorite local slough, now flooded to the coast. The marshy, seasonally tidal estuary is […]
Greens Chair Update
1/4 scale model of my new dining chair concept for Greens Restaurant I generally try to avoid working under pressure, but find I often do my best work with my back up against the wall. When our Wowhaus Interview was published in San Francisco magazine last month, I was just beginning to clear the decks […]
Touching the Wood
My projects always begin with sorting the pile, touching the wood Like cooking, working with wood engages all of the senses in symphony. Touch plays a major role in the early stages of a project, especially at the scale of fitting out the interior of a new building, like the Guest House that now requires […]
The Week in Bloom
a bounty of foraged hedgehog, pig’s ear, white prince* and cauliflower mushrooms Earlier this week, my friend Josef Szuecs invited me to join him on a late season mushroom foraging expedition. Joe has been writing a seasonal Mushroom Report for DeepCraft, and is deeply steeped in mushroom culture, having collected, cooked and eaten wild mushrooms […]
A Chair for Greens
my Elder Chair sidles up to a JB Blunk sculpture at Green’s Restaurant in SF I’ve been commissioned to design a dining chair for Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, one of my favorite spots in the Bay Area. The restaurant’s challenge has been to update its environs while respecting its origins, specifically the zen handwork […]
The Value of Apprenticeship
the house I built with George Smith, Germantown, NY, 1988-89 I’m a strong believer in apprenticeship as a paradigm for learning anything. Much of what I have put into practice in woodcraft and architecture I owe to my friend and mentor, George Smith of Tivoli, New York, with whom I worked side by side building […]