| It is more than just a matter of taste! | | | | sophisticated and did not fill me with appreciation for |
| There may not be two words as distantly removed | | | | the craftsman's talent. Much like my experiences with |
| from each other as 'rustic' and 'sushi', but my reaction | | | | sushi, over time I began to develop a taste for rustic |
| was the same to my first encounters with each. My | | | | furniture's functionality, its fascinating history and |
| appreciation and understanding of 'rustic decor' and | | | | what the pieces began to say to me. The process of |
| 'sushi' gradually evolved from aversion to amazement. | | | | bending delicate willow branches into a decorative |
| Permit me to explain... | | | | chair that would support an adult's weight and was |
| Many years ago I was employed by the American | | | | cool, comfortable and resembled a woodlander's |
| division of a large Japanese company. As a senior | | | | throne is an awe-inspiring example of pure genius. My |
| member of management, I was required to make | | | | initial lack of understanding evolved into meaningful |
| numerous trips to Japan, and entertain Japanese | | | | appreciation. |
| visitors when they visited our facility. Regardless of | | | | In the same vein, using rough-hewn logs to create |
| the country in which we found ourselves, sushi was | | | | beds, tables, chairs and other functional pieces may |
| the preferred carte du jour. Price was never an | | | | not require the same fastidiousness employed by a |
| object, but regardless of the cost of the meal, my | | | | master cabinetmaker, but the adaptation and |
| early experiences with the taste and texture only | | | | utilization of nature is what makes one take notice. It |
| served to make me drink more Sapporo. I simply did | | | | is not the amount of detail or the intricacy of design |
| not have a love-at-first-bite appreciation for raw fish. | | | | that makes a piece of rustic furniture exceptional. It |
| Sometime after those first unimpressive gastronomic | | | | is what the piece says about itself, its function and |
| introductions, something changed and I cannot tell | | | | how it relates with the surroundings that creates its |
| you why or what was the cause, but I began to find | | | | delightful aura. |
| sushi palatable. Before long I found it irresistible. To | | | | The intrinsic majesty of a tree is one of the reasons |
| this day, sushi is a preferred dish of mine and I will | | | | log homes and log furniture have such a loyal |
| often go out of my way to discover a good sushi | | | | following. A traditional furniture maker may choose to |
| restaurant. Undoubtedly you must be wondering | | | | saw planks from the trunk and carve elaborate |
| what the fine-tuning of my taste buds has to do | | | | designs, while a rustic craftsman will fashion a piece |
| with rustic décor. | | | | that appears to have grown up from the floor itself. |
| My early encounters with rustic furniture were similar | | | | With rustic and log furniture, form and function are |
| to my sushi experiences. The first few times I was | | | | complimented by nature's distinctive characteristics. |
| exposed to rustic furniture (stick chairs, twig tables, | | | | People want to surround themselves with such |
| et al) I was not overwhelmed. My education in | | | | natural grandeur and rustic décor speaks to |
| furniture design was what you might call "classical", in | | | | that desire in a way that old Thomas Chippendale |
| that I had a serious appreciation for the graceful lines | | | | probably could not understand. |
| of a Queen Anne chair with carved scallop shells on | | | | Twenty years ago, I thought of raw fish as bait, and |
| the knees of its cabriole legs. Thomas Chippendale's | | | | gnarled branches on the forest floor were little more |
| "Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director" was a | | | | than kindling. Over the years I have learned that if |
| mainstay in my shop and I referred to it often for | | | | something is different than I think it should be, I |
| inspiration when building a fine piece of mahogany | | | | might need to take another bite or one more look |
| furniture. | | | | before I decide to spit it out or savor the taste. |
| Rustic furniture on the other hand was not refined or | | | | |