Carl Austin Furniture
All of Carl’s work is directly inspired by wooden boatbuilding methods. Carl soon learnt that what makes wooden boats pretty are fair curves. These curves are achieved through using very long batons and a calibrated eye.
The curves on his chairs are all derived from using boatbuilding methods and experience.
As his chairs are intended for use outdoors, using materials and methods proven in the marine environment does help to inspire confidence in the buyers.
Aged 23, Carl bought an old wooden Norfolk Broads cruiser to live on. It immediately became apparent that it was falling apart and that his woodworking skills were utterly inadequate to stop the rot, so he embarked upon a woodworking course. Carl never did get to grips with that boat, but woodwork got a grip on him. He diverted off to making and studying furniture, graduating from De Montfort University, Leicester, with a degree in furniture design.
The lure of wooden boats, however, was persistent, so in 2005 Carl moved with his family to Cornwall to concentrate fully on boat building. He bought another huge wooden boat to live on, this time with sufficient knowledge and kit to knock it into shape and make a comfortable home. He also got some good commissions to build boats. While working on a small wooden boat, the idea of making furniture using traditional wooden boat building materials and methods occurred to him. As neither boats nor furniture would leave Carl in peace it seemed obvious to combine the two.
Carl is a big fan of the mid-20th-century Scandinavian furniture designers which will probably surprise no one. His body of work could not have materialised without this blend of experience and education in both furniture and boats.
Products
NORSE chair
