Seth Rolland, the master of fine wood cutting

I am increasingly fascinated by woodworkers who, likeAlexander Grabovetskiy, handcrafts wood doing amazing things. One such craftsman is Seth Rolland, considered by many of his contemporaries to be a true wood artist and a trailblazer in terms of cutting wood and using it to make furniture from a single piece of wood. He is a passionate woodworker who has been working with wood for more than 25 years, combining different ways of working so as to achieve forms that are as sculptural as possible but also very practical.

Seth is a self-taught woodworker. True, he was born and raised in a family of architects, having been exposed to the art and its forms from an early age. At 5 his mother taught him to use a hammer and at 6 he was building a cork out of reclaimed wood and polyurethane foam, also with her help. But he graduated from college with a degree in philosophy and the environment.

But his passion for wood won out and he started building furniture following his own philosophy. He creates his objects inspired by natural forms, forms combined with movement. He likes to work with wood in various forms, pushing it as close to its limits as possible. The resulting objects are a mix of clean and animated lines, both interesting and fun.

The object is first born in his mind. He then makes drawings, sketches and models to ensure that the object is functional, the curves are proportional and well balanced from all angles. When he's sure it's functional he really starts work on the new creation. Choose the wood first by color and grain. He uses North American hardwood that he cuts, joins, bends, assembles and finishes by hand. Each stage is carefully crafted to ensure the highest quality for each one.

Rolland makes various pieces of furniture, all functional, which in terms of design fall into 3 categories:

• Organic furniture - where the curves are inspired by the simplicity, beauty and natural movement of shapes - made by cutting, steaming, bending, rolling or vacuum forming.

• Furniture made from a single piece of wood. Furniture with no joints or gluing but only from cutting and bending wood. In this case the limits of the furniture are those of the wood.

• Furniture in which wood is combined with natural stone. Each material is used for exactly what it was created for: parts of furniture are made from wood and balanced with stone. Basically wood is balanced and balanced by stone.

Seth Rolland is both a carpenter and a designer. He is a trailblazer in woodworking, developing new techniques and making simple yet fascinating objects. His furniture is influenced by natural forms, Japanese and Danish furniture aesthetics, but his personal imprint is unmistakable. His contribution to the art of woodworking is recognised and appreciated by all those who work with wood, whether by hand or not.

If you liked these works you can also see the creationsanother young designer reinventing simple pieces of furniture.