The Flowing Oak desk

A 78 1/2” long solid wood piece celebrates the natural beauty of centuries-old oak by retaining its natural edge as well honors the flowing water grain pattern, reminiscent of artist Robin Wade’s Florence, Alabama, meandering backyard creek. The concealed mortise and tenon joinery allows the wood grain to flow continuously from desktop to leg, bringing to mind a waterfall as the piece’s horizontal plane curves to vertical.

Wade's aesthetic, something he calls both rustic, "obviously from nature," he says, and modern, "minimal, with straight, clean lines," he says, celebrates Mother Nature’s inherent artistry by showcasing wood’s grain, color, shape, and imperfections.

A furniture maker who uses age-old, all-natural processes to create clean-lined, modern furnishings, Robin Wade, of Florence, Alabama purchases trees that are downed in a natural, or ecologically sound way. The hardwoods are then flitch sawn into natural edge lumber, debarked by hand with a drawknife, and stacked to dry. After years of natural curing, the lumber becomes one-of-a-kind pieces crafted by Robin Wade Furniture’s slow studio.

Robin Wade can be contacted for interviews, photographs of pieces, and more information at robinwadefurniture@mac.com or 256/766-0049. To see pieces of Wade’s handcrafted furniture, visit robinwadefurniture.com.