Well I sat down to write this post and realized that perhaps some process sketches would be fun to look back on. As I sit and type this am now two glasses of wine in and breathing a bit shallow because I CAN NOT find my Collection sketchbook. Anywhere. I am actually fraught with worry about this circumstance. We’re just coming out of the fog of the move and it very likely could be stashed away somewhere safe (but where???) and that is the story I am holding onto tonight after searching every inch of the house. There are 12 year old sketches in that book – just torn out pages from various places over the years so, as you can imagine, they are quite important to me.

But on to the point of this post….my Declan Dining Chair. It is named after my youngest son, and once the Declan Side Chair is released, he’ll be in the lead with 2 whole pieces of his namesake.

The entire purpose around the design is to design a chair that can hold it’s own with a distinct personality…but also one that you could handle seeing and feeling 12 in just one room. That is kind of a feat. The legs can’t be too “leggy”. The back can’t be too tall. The overall design has to remain subtle.

I knew I wanted an elegantly swooped arm. I just love that profile. But I can’t definitively explain when the idea arrived to cut away the spine. It was a bit of me knowing I’d like to incorporate the brass structure into the piece…but where? I also just love walnut. So a chance to incorporate that into the back as well was calling me. So the sketch evolved. At one point, the brass stretcher was a heavier design in the middle of the back, but ultimately I chose the more simple alternative. (and for my fellow Illinois alums, the back started to look like a block I to me…and well, obviously that is not the intended aesthetic direction, lol)

The questions I get asked most often is “can you feel the back cutout” or “does the cutout make it uncomfortable”. I wish that all my clients could know me better and therefore know that I don’t host a dinner without the expectation that we will sit for no less than two hours…sooooo…needless to say it is very comfortable, and I would even go so far as to say it helps cradle your spine.

I’m excited to share the Declan Side Chair….soon!

Fixture: Jonathan Browning, Table: Design Within Reach, Artwork: Francine Turk, Wall Color: SW Toque White

xoxo,