About & Commissions
   
Whether working with a designer and their client or my own prospective client, the design process of turning ideas into a finished piece can be very satisfying. I can adapt an existing piece or start with a clean sheet for the design. It is often prudent to build a full scale model out of cardboard or MDF. The furniture you see on this site were designed by me using design elements found in other craftsmen pieces. Each element was picked out of the vast collection of books and periodicals in my library.

The quality of the final piece comes down to combining the design elements with its construction methods. The wood controls whether it is made of solid wood or plywood. The joinery makes it stable, protecting it from the changes in its environment.
 
The two Wenge/Cherry tables shown here have different construction methods connecting the apron to the legs and top. The apron is flush to the top on one and flush to legs on the other. In this case the tops are connected to the bases with metal fasteners which allow the top to breathe as seasons change.
  
 
Mixing materials can add a fun element to a design. The Orange 3Form top with its Cedar bead and Ash base is a cut out from a vanity's sink.
Dyeing wood can create a striking change to a open grain wood as in this blackened Ash hall table.
 
 
Shapes like the oval Tiger Maple coffee table top invite closeness. The beauty of a worm hole stain ripples across the top. Note the contrast of the linear Walnut base to the oval top. This is what the fun factor is of bringing a client's ideas to fruition.
 
Go to www.tdhallassoc.com to see decades of my interior detailing, case work, traditional furniture, and built-ins. I'm looking for commissions designing furniture and built-ins for displaying art collections. Click on the images to see their detail page.
       
978.388.7188