Robert Chan

designer and maker of fine wood furniture

Recent Publication/Exhibitions

Interior Design Show - National Trade Centre, Toronto, Canada, Feb. '03

Jurors' Awards - Oakville Arts Council 3rd Annual Juried Show, Oakville, Ontario, May '02

"Chan gives furniture a touch of the Orient" - The Mississauga News Dec.' 01

"Made in LAC" - Living Arts Centre, Mississauga, Ontario, Nov. '01

Woodworking has long been my hobby and passion. After spending 15 years in the corporate world and having enjoyed a satisfying career, I decided to formalize my woodworking skills and embark on a new challenge by designing and making fine furniture.

The opportunity to combine form and function has great appeal to me. To make something unique, functional and beautiful with your hands is an extraordinary process. Shaping a piece of wood using hand tools is to me a form of meditation.

There are many good designs out there, but without proper execution and the resulting quality, the piece is a failure. Too often today, that is what we see. Pieces are designed for visual impact without proper consideration for construction, and quality is often sacrificed for the sake of economy. You will not see that in my furniture. To me, quality is an integral part of the overall design, and the resulting feel of a piece. You can be assured that you will be getting both good design and quality when you bring home one of my pieces.

I almost exclusively use wood because that's what I love. Although wood has a lot of physical limitations -- it's much harder to bend a piece of wood than a piece of metal -- its beauty and individuality make it my material of choice. Even from the same species, every plank of wood is different just as every tree is different. Even though their design may be exactly the same, two furniture pieces will have their own character due entirely to the wood itself.

 

On Design

I believe you can learn a lot from other designers and furniture makers of past and present. I appreciate both traditional and modern designs, and as such, my furniture do not reflect any one period or style. In designing, I try to instill a timeless quality. In general, the lines are clean and crisp. I let the wood make its own statement with its wonderful and endless variations of grain patterns, colours, and textures.

Since I am the maker as well as the designer of my pieces, I often incorporate certain construction details, such as exposed joinery, and make them an integral part of the design.

Aside from the visual impact, I hope you will notice as you look through my gallery that functionality plays an equally central role in all of my designs. That to me is what makes a piece of furniture great -- utilitarianism and aesthetics coming together in everyday life.

 

On Quality

Quality is a trademark of my work as evident in the almost seamless joinery and solid construction. When you buy one of my pieces, you know you are bringing home something that you can pass onto your children and grandchildren.

You know sometimes when you go to a furniture store, and you see a piece you like, but when you walk up to it for a closer inspection, you are immediately disappointed by the poor workmanship. My furniture is different; quality is apparent from the beginning, but the closer you look, the more details you see, and your appreciation grows.

I mostly employ traditional joinery such as mortise & tenon and dovetail, even in places where you cannot see. Since I use solid wood where I can, my designs take into consideration the movements inherent in the wood. Even I am surprised sometimes at how much a piece of wood will expand and contract with the relative humidity of the room. But that's what makes a piece of wood furniture unique.

Most of my furniture is hand oiled to let the natural colour and beauty of the wood come through. With age and use, a piece will acquire a richer and deeper patina that will enhance the appearance even more.


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