Ted Scherrer View Portfolio

Walnut Morris chair, foot stool, and side table.

The Morris Chair: Derived from a design by Gustav Stickley, the Morris Chair is named after philosopher, poet and designer William Morris, father of the English Arts and Crafts movement. Morris's workshop developed the concept of adjustable recliners. My chair reclines to three back positions using removable turned pins. The beauty of the chair comes from it's architectural lines and structural form. Heavy members, with through mortise and tenon joinery, demonstrate integrity and quality. I make two versions, one with slope arms and another with flat arms. A companion to the Morris chair, a foot stool offers greater relaxation to the user.

To accompany the Morris chair, a wood frame couch in the Prairie style is available. End tables, coffee tables and library table with two drawers are also available. Wood choices are cherry, maple, walnut or quarter sawn oak.

My hand-crafted furniture is inspired by the American Arts and Crafts movement. In response to the superficial decor of the Victorian Age, this turn of the century movement sought to establish a new aesthetic based on the beauty of natural materials combined with handcraft to produce designs of simple lines and high integrity.

Durability is an Arts and Crafts theme. This furniture is built to last. Arts and Crafts is not a passing fashion but a timeless creation. My pieces are meant to be heirlooms. Exposed mortise and tenons and doweling demonstrates structural integrity; the joinery in fact becomes the decoration. Arts and Crafts is much more than a style, it represents a fundamental design reform and is a reflection of a historical ideology.