Telling Stories Through Furniture
A sampling of Western Design Conference craftsmen creating furniture that speaks for itself
Brian Boggs’ Biltmore Pub table is shown in ambrosia maple with a walnut frame. It can be made in a variety of sizes and woods to be used as an entry table, coffee table or for dining. | Photo courtesy of Brian Boggs Chairmakers
Artsy Jackson, Wyoming, becomes an even bigger creative hub each September when artists and collectors from across the country gather for the Fall Arts Festival and one of its featured events, the Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale. WDC executive director Allison Merritt oversees the event, which showcases the creations of a juried collection of artisans from more than two dozen states working in styles that range from rustic to modern. “We’re creating a platform that unites the public and the trade,” Merritt says. “These niche artists tell a story through their work, which is at a museum-quality level.” Here, we look at four creators who are among this year’s exhibitors.
Brian Boggs
The Trillium dining table with a pedestal base is inspired by classical forms and seats six. Shown in walnut, it can be customized in size. Price upon request. | Photo courtesy of Brian Boggs Chairmakers
Creating heirloom-quality furniture goes deeper for Brian Boggs than regularly turning out award-winning designs from his Asheville, North Carolina, facility. “I think of the four decades I’ve spent as not just being in the industry but diving deep into the craft itself; helping it evolve and keeping it alive,” he says. As an example, he is collaborating with a chair making partner in western New York that is doing the milling for some furniture parts. “It increases how much we can produce, but also gives me access to techniques to broaden and further my thinking about design,” he says. “Combining old and new ways of working gives me a depth of perspective that I can bring to bear in birthing new designs.” Boggs is committed to education, sharing ideas on a blog, through social media and in 40-plus videos on YouTube. He also believes in sustainable practices, but cautions that being environmentally sound is about more than carefully sourcing wood. “If the piece of furniture doesn’t last long enough to grow another tree, it’s not sustainable. It should last for many generations.”
Steve Henneford
The Classic rocker is based on Sam Maloof’s timeless design. Flat spindles on the back, a scooped seat and slender rails are shaped by hand for beauty and comfort. $8,000 and up. | Photo courtesy of Steve Henneford
Having a career as a gym owner and gymnastics coach isn’t the typical prelude to becoming a furniture maker, but Steve Henneford of Kalispell, Montana, says there are similarities in the pursuits. “You get to be creative,” he says. “You have to put in time to be good at it and pay attention to the details, whether you’re pointing your toes or executing a chair’s finish.” Having always wanted to make rocking chairs, a dozen years ago he watched a video and began working in wood. He was good at it—and so he started doing shows and earning commissions from homeowners and hotels like The Cloudveil in Jackson, Wyoming, for his leather-accented cowboy rockers and chaises. Henneford loves the Western Design Conference because he gets to meet clients in person and connect with other craftspeople. “You spend many hours in your shop by yourself, so when you go to a show, it’s super fun. Allison [Merritt] does a great job in bringing everyone together.”
Kelly Maxwell
The multi-level console table made from natural oak wood planks hasa simplified modern design with rustic live-edge elements. Price varies with wood and size chosen. | Photo by Brandon Cawood
Working with wood is a natural for Kelly Maxwell, who was raised on a farm in Idaho, where his grandfather also ran a sawmill. Maxwell’s first career was as a paramedic. He started making furniture out of necessity when he was asked to create some pieces for his stepdaughter’s wedding. The self-taught craftsman now operates out of Nashville, Tennessee, producing award- winning furniture using traditional joinery techniques like mortise-and-tenon rather than screws and nails. He loves nature and says fallen and selectively harvested trees have beauty superior to commercial lumber: “The wood is richer and responds to finishes better.” Such wood, he says, allows him to create art rather than just another chair or table. He’ll sometimes let a piece dry for a decade before turning it into a piece of furniture. “The saying that the longer you let your wine or whiskey age, the better it is; wood is the same way. It takes time to get the full beauty out of it.”
Robert Seliger
The Umbria queen-size bed in Oregon black walnut has lathe-turned posts and a paneled headboard and footboard that recall the doors on Italian Renaissance homes. $9,500 as shown. | Photo by Robert Seliger
Growing up surrounded by the natural beauty of Aspen, Colorado, Robert Seliger attended a couple of furniture-making workshops run by the legendary designer and woodworker Sam Maloof that would prove to be life-changing. Seliger was finishing high school and preparing to enter the University of Colorado, where he studied architecture. Maloof “showed me that it was a better fit for me as an artist,” Seliger says of his pivot to furniture design. “He showed me that furniture wasn’t just perfect joinings and angles, but the curves. He pushed me to pursue my vision, which was to be an artist first and master craftsman second.” Seliger has lived in Oregon since the 1990s, and his studio is in a converted horse barn on a ranch in Tumalo. Having traveled the world, he includes influences from Asia to France as well as the American West in his designs. “I’m producing the highest level of work I’ve ever done,” he says. “I’m pushing hard. I have 38 designs in a three-ring binder that I want to make.”
WDC Details
Steve Heneford’s walnut one-drawer desk has curved legs and a hand-rubbed oil finish. It is shown with a three-legged vanity chair in cherry wood. Price upon request. | Photo courtesy of Steve Henneford
The 31st annual Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale will be held September 7-10 in Jackson, Wyoming, at the Snow King Events Center. The event features the works of 90 juried artisans who will display their talents, including woodworking, glass making, metal welding, bronze sculpting and painting, as well as jewelry and fashion design. An opening preview party on September 7 includes cocktails and food followed by a live auction and runway fashion show. In addition to artist exhibit booths, a designer show house is featured on the event space’s floor. Tickets are $30 for a day pass, which includes admission and a daily happy hour. VIP entry and reserved seating for the opening-night preview is $175, with $100 for general admission.
As seen in ML’s July/August 2023 Issue
