Every piece of furniture is as unique as the tree it came from. While each piece may be widely similar in shape and composition, upon closer inspection, we discover no two are exactly alike. During the milling process, individuality is prominent in the distinctive grain patterns formed through decades of growth. We see those distinctions as assets— fingerprints— that make each piece of our furniture entirely one-of-a-kind.
Form, Shape, and Patterns.
Pictured from left to right: Aria Stool, Auburn Stool, Harpswell Stool
Form, shape, and pattern are the intrinsic characteristics of solid wood furniture. With no two pieces of wood precisely alike, every piece of furniture has its unique identity. These nuances, crafted by nature and finished by hand, create furniture destined to be a one-of-a-kind, modern-day heirloom. The perfection of the Auburn chair’s design is the shape of its back. The perfectly formed anticlastic curve celebrates the wood’s unique growth rings, showcased in triplicate along the chair’s back. On the crest of the Harpswell chair, we find a signature like no other. Carved on a bandsaw to reveal the growth rings, these swirling grain patterns, often presented in a bull’s eye pattern, create a crest that is an individual canvas, where no two are alike. Crafted from a wide, carved plank, the untamed nature of wood is showcased in the backrest of the Edo chairs and seat of the Island Stool. We may have added our skill as joiners, but nature has held the paintbrush.
If you ask any craftsperson, they’ll tell you that the beauty of our products begins in the rough mill with board selection. Here, the subtle art of selecting rough-hewn slabs of wood to match wood grain and color makes the difference between a nice piece of furniture and an exquisite piece of furniture. When the color is consistent throughout the front of a case piece, the grain appears seamless, creating the illusion of one continuous solid board. We prominently showcase nature’s artistry when we come across a piece of wood that presents an ornate or active grain pattern. These figured pieces of wood create a piece of furniture that is as individual as the craftsperson who crafted it and the person who will receive it.
Cathedrals
The crest of the Harpswell chair bears a signature like no other. Beginning with a solid “twelve-quarter” block of wood- a full three inches thick-is carved on a bandsaw to reveal the growth rings. These swirling grain patterns, often presented in a bullseye pattern, create a crest that is an individual canvas, where no two are alike. We may have added our skill as joiners, but nature has held the paintbrush.
In its careful, thoughtful use of sustainably harvested American hardwoods, our Edo Chairs highlight natural ring patterns that honor the tree’s long growth, while foretelling the long future of the finished piece. Crafted with a wide, carved plank, the untamed nature in wood is showcased in the backrest of these chairs.
The perfection of the Auburn chair’s design includes a perfect anticlastic back that is crafted from a single piece of wood. Celebrating the unique growth rings of the tree, the back of the Auburn chair and stool is crafted from a single piece of wood, showcased in triplicate, with growth rings marginally smaller or larger than that last.
Most evident in the spindles and legs of our stools and chairs, we celebrate this unique characteristic by purposefully facing the cathedrals front and center of our chair legs and spindles. In doing so, we create visual movement in our pieces that invite the eyes to move upward towards a hand-sculpted seat or perfectly sanded crest. The cathedral, or arching pattern in wood, is the resulting grain structure formed after a flat-sawn log. This cut brings out the patterns of the tree’s annual rings creating the cathedral characteristic that is prominent in woods like ash and oak.
Bullseye
When you bring the work of a Moser craftsperson into your home, you might notice these nuances in your furniture. For us, it is the mark of a piece well made and thoughtfully crafted. From the exposed joinery to a prominent display of growth rings and every detail in between, you can rest assured: it’s every bit the one-of-a-kind modern heirloom it appears to be.
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