January 2015 - Richard Oedel, Fine Furniture Maker

The Creative Process…

January 30, 2015September 26, 2016 by Richard Oedel

It has been almost 15 years since I started making furniture seriously, and over that time I have tried to hew to one particular mantra - to make only beautiful, useful furniture. And sure enough, over the course of time I have made hundreds of pieces, and each time I…

Louis Comfort Tiffany – Chairmaker

January 25, 2015September 26, 2016 by Richard Oedel

At the Winter Antiques Show in New York this weekend, I ran across this chair at the Hirschl&Adler Gallery booth. Made by Louis Comfort Tiffany (yes, the same guy who did all of those wonderful lamps) sometime around 1891-93, it is a sidechair, and H&A has a table that…

Yes, that is our table in back of the new Cabinet Members!

January 18, 2015September 26, 2016 by Richard Oedel

Honored to swear in our new cabinet. Ready to get to work with a great team! pic.twitter.com/CDH7G8UlzJ— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) January 8, 2015 This was posted by the new Massachusetts Governor, Charlie Baker. And just behind the new cabinet members is our new oval table! Nice to see it getting…

Friday Artist Reception – Schools of Thought – Jan 16, 5-7pm

January 14, 2015September 26, 2016 by Richard Oedel

If you have some time Friday, come join me at the Artist Reception for the Schools of Thought - North Bennet Street School exhibition at the Furniture Masters' Gallery, 49 South Main Street, Concord NH 03301 All of the artists are graduates of the North Bennet Street School cabinet and…

HH Richardson – The Tables

January 13, 2015September 26, 2016 by Richard Oedel

The finished tables are here, and yes, they were delivered on time, arriving by white glove delivery service on the morning of the 24th of November. And the round table came out just as well. The oval table was carved on the bottom posts, and everything about them was…

HH Richardson table? Maybe… (part 1)

January 6, 2015September 26, 2016 by Richard Oedel

When the call came, it was in the form of a definitive attribution. "The table was made by HH Richardson and we need to repair it, and then make a duplicate." It is the oval table in the foreground of this 1897 photo of the library. Henry Hobson Richardson was…

The Spirit House

January 4, 2015September 26, 2016 by Richard Oedel

Twelve years ago when we went to Thailand, we noticed architectural-model-sized decorated houses at almost every residence. And hotel. And public building. But what are they, we wondered. They are Spirit Houses, and while we haven't seen any around here in Boston, we were intrigued . A Spirit House is a…

New Furniture Exhibition at Historic Deerfield

January 3, 2015September 26, 2016 by Richard Oedel

If you're thinking about commissioning a piece of furniture and want some inspiration, I definitely recommend paying a visit to the Flynt Center in Deerfield, Massachusetts. I've talked a lot on my design blog about how Massachusetts and the New England region played an important role in early American furniture…