Shaker it up: a New York studio’s modern take on the American farmhouse aesthetic
![Jonah Meyer’s new collection for Sawkille Co draws inspiration from his art and sculptural style](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EucqnuCD9V8oFNR8GZS3bQ-415-80.jpg)
In upstate New York, sculptor and woodworker Jonah Meyer relies on time-tested techniques to create updated designs at his furniture company Sawkille Co. ‘We do many things the old-fashioned way, by default and by choice,’ he says. ‘All of the hand work is informed by traditional wood working – the technology is about 100 years old and our work would look pretty much the same back then, which is crazy.’
Meyer, who trained at the Rhode Island School of Design, is heavily influenced by his back-to-the-roots upbringing: his parents, a potter and a goldsmith, raised him in Pennsylvania, pursuing their dreams of homesteading and respective crafts. As a result, Sawkille’s furniture ranges from modern variations of classic Windsor chairs, Shaker benches and spindle-leg stools, to a collection of sanded and stained tree trunks (aptly named, ‘Stumps’).
‘Stumps’ table by Sawkille Co
This minimal approach should not be confused with simplistic. ‘I do a lot of drawing and prototyping,’ Meyer says. ‘The details start to emerge as the piece comes together and most often the piece will have a few generations of development over time before the design feels completed.’
However, the latest additions to Meyer’s core furniture line push the limits of this established American farmhouse aesthetic with modern shapes, inlay and paint. ‘Our newest pieces are more far out – I pulled a lot of the [furniture] elements from my sculptures,’ Meyer explains. This means expanding the material palette from his repertoire of northeast hardwoods like black walnut, sycamore and tiger maple and incorporating birch bark, marble, leather and steel. ‘The inlay and the graphic elements are all informed by my art and drawing,’ he adds.
New works include the bleached wood 'Minna' chair with a geometric leather seat and backrest, an asymmetrical bench with a Windsor back and a slatted chair with one armrest featuring a carved cup holder, as well as more organic pieces like a chandelier made from branches and Stump-inspired tables. ‘We have a consistent approach to Sawkille designs, but we have recently felt to deviate and see what happens,’ says Meyer. ‘I don't think anyone’s creative self is fulfilled by repeatedly sanding the same shape for years.’
‘Rainbow’ armchair in American black walnut
For the newest collection, Meyer started to incorporate birch bark and steel
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Sawkille Co website
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
This Nova Lima apartment is a Brazilian family oasis with striking Minas Gerais views
A Nova Lima apartment designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura celebrates its long, natural Minas Gerais vistas
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
Brooklyn furniture studio Stillmade unveils its first collaborative design series
Stillmade brings to life the designs of four New Yorkers – Pat Kim, Danny Kaplan, Michele Quan and Mignogna Studio
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Blue Green Works's lighting champions a new aesthetic in American design
Manhattan-based design studio Blue Green Works fuses sensuality and masculinity to create mellow, mood-enhancing lighting with visual impact
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Blue Green Works introduces alluring new lighting collection
Inspired by iconography, American design studio Blue Green Works introduces five new lighting ranges
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Exclusive peek at artfully curated home in Jean Nouvel’s 53 West 53
RR Interiors' latest furnishing project – 61A at 53 West 53 – highlights art, architecture and city views inside Jean Nouvel's monumental New York skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan
By Martha Elliott Last updated
-
Sculptural ceramic lamps from Brooklyn’s In Common With and Danny Kaplan
‘Terra’, a new collection of ceramic lamps featuring tactile glazes, puts Brooklyn studio In Common With and ceramicist Danny Kaplan in the spotlight
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Sight Unseen launches furniture line with Bestcase
Editorial platform Sight Unseen worked with sheet metal specialist Bestcase to launch a collection of 1970s-inspired furniture in collaboration with Home Studios, Studio Anansi and Thévoz-Choquet
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Roll & Hill and Post Company's lighting designs in Inness are inspired by Georgian bell jars
Brooklyn-based studio Post Company created a new lighting collection for Roll & Hill, inspired by bell jar lanterns and conceived for country refuge Inness
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Trnk refines its namesake furniture collection to spotlight creatives of colour
The reinvigorated Trnk Collection is curated by founder Tariq Dixon and draws from its creative community, including pieces by Studio Anansi, Michael K Chen and Farrah Sit
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated