One-of-a-Kind Custom Work from a Park City Master Woodworker
Woodworker and artist Garth Franklin opts for time over trend for his custom-made furnishings and bespoke designs.
Friends of Garth Franklin gather around his 15-foot tall, 15-foot-wide wooden troll named Hoodah, who is now a neighborhood icon and mascot for the annual community Hoodah Fest. | Photo: Kelli Freshman
For Park City-based woodworker and craftsman Garth Franklin, making furniture is more than a trade. “Crafting the entire process from design to delivery makes each custom piece a reflection of me,” he says. Growing up on the East Coast, Franklin had an early passion for working with his hands. In middle and high school, he earned a reputation for his handiwork—dyeing and stringing lacrosse sticks. Over the course of those years, he strung more than 1,000.
That tactile curiosity carried into his time at Colby College in Maine, where he studied biochemistry and took electives in pottery and blacksmithing. But it was an off-campus furniture-making course in a quiet woodshop that struck the strongest chord. “It was a perfect balance from academics,” he recalls.
A custom-built sauna blends handcrafted charm with modern luxury for the ultimate relaxation experience. The cedar-clad structure seats eight people and offers a tempting spot to warm up and recharge after a day of snow-filled activities. Saunas have become a popular request for the Utah-based woodworker. | Photo: Garth Franklin
Upon graduation he traveled widely, settled in Utah, and opted to start a career as a woodworker. A quick internet search for woodworkers in Salt Lake City connected him with one of the only two furniture makers listed, Chad Parkinson. Persistence led Franklin to join Parkinson on a tree-felling mission, and before long he found himself in what he calls a “crash course in the professional side of cowboy woodworking.”
Parkinson jokes of Franklin, “He was definitely more romantic than practical in his approach, so I think I originally broke his heart.” He notes that Franklin is “very open to giving things a try and listens, which is not always the case for people, and it’s been great to watch him grow.”
A dining table and chairs in white oak were made from a single naturally fallen tree and finished with dyed Danish cord woven seats. | Photo: Garth Franklin
Things worked so well that Franklin rented bench space in Parkinson’s communal shop of artists and makers. Eight years later, his work is not only sought after but he recently took over the reins of the group space. His approach to learning remains wide-ranging and inquisitive: reading deeply, studying design, and attending workshops and events, including a three-day design show in Copenhagen, a place he calls “design utopia.”
Most of Franklin’s work is commission based, with chairs being his favorite creation. “They are both sculptural and functional. They can’t just look nice, they also have to sit well,” he explains. American hardwoods like walnut and cherry, prized for the way they hold edges, are often his go-to choice. Lately he’s drawn to Douglas fir for the vertical grain and excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Sourcing sustainable materials along with tools is a treasure hunt he relishes.
Kosmo, a 20-foot steel sculpture inspired by the Kosmoceratops, a native dinosaur to Utah, was the second artform to be built by Franklin for the neighborhood’s annual Hoodah Fest. | Photo: Zach Pass
“I like to use hand tools when applicable for their feedback and sensitivity. Often they can produce greater finesse than machines,” he says. Franklin, who has never made the same thing twice, counts an urn for his grandmother’s ashes as the most personal and cathartic of his creations. Says frequent client John Obermiller, “I believe he is a modern-day renaissance man.
He is not limited at all in his work and seems very willing to take on a challenge.” Obermiller and his wife, Sherri, would know: the pair has enlisted Franklin to create a smorgasbord of custom pieces, including an exceptionally specific cabinet to house a vinyl record collection, barn door facades with topographic maps, and an intricately finished gazebo. The foundation to all of Franklin’s work is longevity and sustainability. “I have a finite time here as a maker, so I aspire that the few things I do build will live long lives cherished for their craft and beauty.”
Franklin started his company in 2015 to focus on creating heirloom furnishings, large-scale structures and public art installations. | Photo: Clark Aegerter
A walnut door for a bathroom was finished with topographic local mountains carved in cherrywood. | Photo: Garth Franklin
American hardwoods are a favorite material for Franklin, who appreciates them for strength, beauty and durability. This walnut chair epitomizes his ability to balance functionality with sculptural splendor. | Photo: Garth Franklin
