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