WINDSOR CHAIRS, BENCHES, and  STOOLS: 2019 was the year for Windsor Chair, Bench, and Stool orders.  I shipped 14 Contemporary Windsor Side Chairs, 10 Contemporary Windsor Arm Chairs, 3 Contemporary Windsor Benches,  4 Contemporary Windsor Low-back Stools, 3 Contemporary Windsor Low-back Swivel Stools and I took orders for an additional 4 Walnut Contemporary Windsor Side Chairs.  I sold another of my Contemporary Windsor Bowback Benches in hickory and finally the Custom Windsor Hall Bench (pictured below in cherry with ash spindles) that is sitting in the shop right now in March of 2020.  Eighteen of the chairs were ordered by one decorator from my own state of Vermont, but the rest of the sales came from 7 different clients spread out across the country.  Please click on the links above to go to the web-page for that particular item or click on the thumbnails (some are quite distorted) below to see a larger (properly proportioned) picture.  Click on this link for a brief description and history of Windsor Chairs.   If you click the Arm Chair link above you will see a picture of the other variation of this chair with canted arms.  In the photo(s) below you will see the arm chair with arms parallel to the seat.

    I have made these benches and chairs in other sizes, woods, and finishes.  I’ve made taller, deeper chairs for tall customers.  I have made a shorter, deeper bench to accommodate a cushion.  I’ve made many different lengths of benches and I have made variations of armchairs to suit the table they need to fit under.  Call to order something slightly or completely different: 602-252-1904.

     Finally please note that there are two pages of thumbnails; if you scroll down to the bottom of the first page you will see small numbers 1>2 and clicking on the 2 will take you to the second page.

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Over the past two years I have made quite a few benches, mostly my Bowback Benches, but also Shaker Meeting House Benches.   The Bowback (Contemporary Windsor) Benches have included my standard in cherry with ash spindles and figured maple legs:

Contemporary Windsor Bench

Several of the benches have been new variations on the theme, including a white oak Contemporary Windsor Bench with ash spindles:                   

I also made an oak bench with dark mission oak stain:

I happen to have two new slabs of wood, a 20 inch wide piece of cherry suitable for an eight foot long Contemporary Windsor Bench and a wide piece of walnut  big enough for a 6 foot Bowback Bench.  These pieces are special due to the width; usually I glue two pieces of wood together to make the seats.  These pieces of wood will make one-piece seats.  Here, along with a smaller bench and a chair,  is a photo of the last six foot Walnut Contemporary Windsor Bench that I made:

I’ve had a photo of a 5 foot Shaker Meeting House Bench, that I made, on my website for 25 years without an order until this year when I got two orders in a two week period.  One was just like the original in cherry with ash spindles:

The other went through two iterations, both adding a splash of color to the bench collection:

Chartreuse and Orange Shaker Meeting House Benches

I also made one other Contemporary Windsor Bench out of ash but dyed walnut brown:

Please keep the orders coming; increase the variety!

Bubinga, Maple, and ebonized Walnut Desk and Return

Custom Desk and Return

Desk and Return during building process

Detail bubinga edge and wenge inlay

This Panel Desk and Return, suitable for a reception area but built for a very nice home office, is constructed of solid maple with bubinga panels, drawer fronts, and accents.  The drawer pulls are ebonized walnut.  The top construction is baltic birch core topped with maple veneer and edged with solid bubinga.  There is a wenge inlay between the bubinga edge and the maple veneer on the top.   The customer provided very specific functional specifications and overall dimensional limits (103″ x 87″).  He also specified woods and the top design.  The project resulted in two quite large pieces with a total of 12 drawers.  There are several “grommets” (through-top fittings), an electronics shelf under the corner and a lockable CPU cabinet.  Cables are contained using carabiners attached to the underside of the top.   A computer keyboard tray was added on site and assembly took a bit more work than anyone expected due to a very much less than level floor in the office.  Ultimately everything worked out as you can see in these wonderful photos the customer took for me.  Both of us are very pleased with the results!

These two Shaker Inspired  Bowback Benches , made in the past 3 months, were slight variations on my standard Bowback Bench marketed in cherry with ash spindles and figured maple legs.  The first is a five foot bench painted dark grey (light black)  for a customer in Colorado.  The second is a 6 foot bench constructed of FSC Walnut and FSC Hickory for a customer in the Baltimore area.  I make these contemporary Windsor Benches in various sizes; 4, 5, and 6 foot are the standard sizes, but I can and have made them in other sizes as well.  My Bowback Bench design is a combination of all I learned working for Thos. Moser (1980-1986) and some Shaker influence as well.  The FSC lumber came from Rex Lumber in South Windsor, CT.  The work was completed in Windsor,  VT. 

I recently completed a Custom Walnut Partners Desk project.  Each side has three pencil drawers.  The proportions are substantial, a good piece of furniture to jump under in case of an earthquake.  

  An architect from San Francisco contacted me asking for one of my Bowback Benches as well as a Custom Contemporary Daybed.  Eventually the customer decided against the Bowback Bench, but did order the Daybed.  The designing of the Daybed was a process which began with the photo of a bench, pictured here.  Eventually the architect sent a photo of another daybed which was closer to what he and the customer had in mind:

In response I did a set of drawings and sent them to the architect

He responded with more drawings of a bed with what I thought were undersized, poorly braced legs. more similar to the original photo of the bench:

We went back an forth some more and eventually agreed upon the bed in the following rendering:

Here are some photos of the bed in progress:

And finally photos of the finished contemporary daybed in its new contemporary home:

Above you will see photos of a dyed FSC Walnut Desk ( in my “Pencil-Leg Style”) ordered to go in Leeds certified building.  The dyed FSC Walnut Credenza/Computer Work Station pictured below was ordered later to compliment the desk.  I will post photos (I hope) from the office later.  The Writing Desk  (Dims: 72″H  x 36″D x 32″H)  has two pencil drawers.  The Credenza, pictured before its final finish rub-out and assembly, (Dims: 74″W x 22″D x 32″H) has four legal files as well as a pop-up power communication dock from Doug Mockett (http://www.mockett.com/technology-into-furniture-integration/power-communication-systems/aluminum/pcs50e.html).