Artisan Review

Just outside the quiet mountain town of Kaslo, British Columbia lives Brodie Whitney, a skilled carpenter with more than a small dose of creativity. Brodie creates handcrafted furniture that works with the natural shapes of wood to transform it into what he likes to call "funk"tional furniture. His range of completed items includes beds, tables, stool, chairs, end tables, coffee tables, desks, children's houses and much more. I've had the opporunity to visit his studio and watch him work and the process he uses to construct his furniture is fascinating. First he goes out to harvest his building materials. These are nearly all found in the forests near his home. Viewing a forest through his eyes is a unique experience and he's deeply in touch with the soul of the varieties of wood he uses.

Once he's selected just the right pieces of wood for a project, he uses a drawknife (pictured in photo above) to take the bark off of the raw wood. Then he chooses different pieces of curved and straight wood to create his furniture. And he doesn't just screw it together or slap some nails in. He uses a method called "mortise and tenon joinery" that involves fitting a peg in one piece to a slot in another. It looks fantastic and really completes the rustic look perfectly. When the piece is done, Brodie finishes it with a non-toxic hard oil sealer that brings out the natural soul of the wood brilliantly. It truly is some of the most beautiful furniture I've seen so if you're in need of some really unique furniture I recommend checking out his work. Brodie maintains a web site, Rustique Gallery, where you can learn more about his rustic furniture. He takes orders but is often booked up months in advance so think ahead!