I remember the moment I first knew I wanted to work with wood. I was in a graduate program in architecture when one afternoon I simply looked at my hands and knew… I wanted to combine the skill of these hands with the beauty of wood to create useful and pleasing objects that would enhance people’s lives.
In searching for a word to describe what underlies this creative urge, I discovered “duende,” a Spanish word for “having soul.” Duende is a guiding principle in everything I design and build. Soulful expression and authenticity are driving forces in my work. I hope to bring about an awareness of the intrinsic value of the objects we surround ourselves with.
My style of work is one of collaboration and partnership with my clients. To work this way, to achieve the results I want, requires a balance of real listening, good design and the wise choice of materials.
Listening is like alchemy. It blends my skills and experience with my client’s wishes and needs. Careful listening means that I attend fully to who my client is and how they live and move in their environment.
Good design begins with a set of expressed needs: a need that is waiting to be filled. It may be more storage, better functioning, increased comfort, a lifestyle change, or an aesthetic upgrade. But successful design goes beyond this. It impacts the participant by evoking something inside. The Japanese have a word for this: “Shibui.” It suggests tranquility, depth, simplicity and a kind of inner radiance. Shibui focuses on the essential in the design – nothing extraneous, showy or gaudy.
Solid Workmanship creates a sense of strength and balance. We are drawn to caress the wood and to visually linger on the grace of a well executed detail. We experience great satisfaction when in the presence of such workmanship.
Choice of Materials impacts the “voice” of a piece. Woods speak and act differently. They can be calm and still, exuberant and dynamic, playful or serious. Whatever the voice, wood will add to the beauty of any room.
When this balance of good design, solid workmanship and the artful choice of materials is achieved, then there is the possibility that something satisfying and unique can happen. A “plus factor” has been added. Call it duende, shibui, or soul. This plus factor is what gives the piece its true value.