Evan Berding in an independent furniture maker from Carborro, North Carolina and based in Durham, NC. He has been an Exhibiting Artist Member in Wood since 2017.
“Even before appreciating the artistry or craftsmanship of some of the furniture in my childhood home, I felt the significance of these artifacts. These pieces were not just at my house, they were part of home. As I grew older, this awareness evolved from a purely emotional attachment to one of aesthetic fascination and technical curiosity. So I suppose it is no wonder that after graduating from college, I began taking classes in furniture making and quickly dove headlong into the pursuit of knowledge in all aspects of furniture. Over the years I have worked for and alongside furniture makers in Seattle, Maryland, Boston, and the North Bennet Street School.
Now, as an independent furniture maker in Durham, North Carolina, the skill and understanding instilled by these mentors is present whether I am at the drafting board, in the machine room or working at my bench, but it is that first sense of union with these artifacts that still drives my curiosity. My work seeks Home. With enduring design and time-honored craftsmanship, I create pieces that will weather the clamor of daily life and wait patiently for those quiet moments of reflection, when the tone of wood and the delicacy of details is best appreciated. And with each ding and scratch it will grow more personal, each year richer – a history recorded in the grain and kept for the next generation.”
Evan Berding was commissioned to re-create the ergonomics of a 60+ year old wicker chair. This design challenged his aethetic vision and skills alike.
“This chair was developed for a client to replicate the ergonomics of their favorite old – and disintegrating – wicker chair. Other than how it sat, they left the design up to me. I wanted to create the appearance of a woven seat suspended in the architecture of the frame. And, wanting to keep that frame airy, I designed the chair to provide strength not through bulky parts, but a structural lattice, which, in turn, opened up the opportunity for a more visually engaging composition. European Beech, finished with black-over-red milk paint. Round and half-round reed.”
Evan Berding won the Australian Wood Review “World 2021” award for his exquisite design and has been featured in articles in Fine Woodworking and Australian Wood Review.
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Evan Berding was kind enough to share this stunning design with our gallery and we currently have one of his Wellborn Chairs with a wicker back and beautiful, soft leather seat. It is available for purchase in our gallery or Shop Online! Evan Berding Wellborn Variation Chair.
