What is a Studio Cabinetmaker?

A Cabinetmaker’s Notes - Introductory Article 1

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” William Morris, 1880

Hi, I’m Stephen Hickman.

I make unique pieces of handmade furniture, and I teach others to do the same. I pursue the craft as an art. To do this, I run a modern form of an atelier - an artist’s teaching workshop.

As a studio cabinetmaker I work on my own to make a few high-quality pieces of craftsmanship every year.

As a teacher, I equip those who wish to use hand-tools to make fine things in wood, but only have a small space in which to work.

My audience for both will never be large.

My training
“I’ve never believed that a really good craftsman is intended for a tremendous public… because this craftsman is the one who does this work himself, and gives people something very personal; not much of it, but very personal and therefore not accessible to everyone.” James Krenov, A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook, 1976

A good few years ago now I attended a good school of cabinetmaking in Devon, called Rowden Atelier. I spent my time training under the late artist and master-craftsman David Savage.

David was a fiery character with an artistic temperament, but I never let that sort of thing bother me. His passion was focused on making fine, artistic furniture in the spirit of the arts and crafts movement. It was a passion he passed on to his students.  I trained with David for the best part of three years.

I absorbed the principles of studio craftsmanship and the Arts and Crafts movement.

I studied the work of studio furniture makers such as Sam Maloof, James Krenov, George Nakashima.

I learnt how to make the finest furniture in the world.

I taught hand-tool courses,

And I worked for David as the featured maker in his book The Intelligent Hand.

Standing on the shoulders of makers
It’s no surprise, then, that the Arts and Crafts spirit of the studio furniture makers runs deeply through my work. When I found these artists, I found kindred spirits.

Sometimes I still work as a ‘regular’ joiner and cabinetmaker. I make doors, benches and gates. I make kitchens and fitted furniture. It’s good, functional household stuff. Well-made, great quality, and it pays the bills.

But for the work that I put into the world under my own name,

I seek something different.

Something more collectable,

Something more intriguing.

For the work that I put into the world under my own name, I seek provenance and connection and story.

I work to make you a piece with a narrative. A narrative that connects the piece to the place that the tree grew, the craftsman who brought it to life, and its continuing story in your home.

I work to make heirloom pieces rich in story, that will add to your story.

I work, not as a large-scale cabinetmaker,

But as a small-scale cabinetmaker.

A studio cabinetmaker.

I’ll sum it up with something I wrote for my website:

I’m a studio cabinetmaker. I design and make unique, hand-crafted pieces of furniture that celebrate wood. Furniture with a quiet, elegant aesthetic. Pieces that, while they don't necessarily shout about themselves, sit in a room with a certain presence. Modern designs that retain the feel and substance of the best traditional work. I create furniture for those who believe, as I do, that elegant woodwork can lend a timeless appeal to a living space. 

But what I make, and what I teach, I’ll save for another email.

Speak soon.

~sh

Stephen Hickman
Studio Cabinetmaker

Links and Further Reading
These links are for further interest only. I am not responsible for the content of external websites.

Excerpt from ‘The Intelligent Hand’ - find my bio on page ‘x’
Rowden Atelier’s Arts and Crafts Inheritance
Article on ‘The American Studio Crafts Movement’
Article on ‘The Rise of Studio Pottery’