American Vernacular: Furniture with History, Handmade in the Catskills

If Brian Persico’s handmade wooden furniture looks more antique Shaker than newly crafted, it’s intentional. At his studio in the Catskills (near where he grew up), Persico draws from the visual vernacular of American furniture, and sources materials locally—to the extreme. “The wood I use is often from less than 20 miles of my home,” he says. “My finishes and glues are also made with natural ingredients—many of them re-created according to recipes I’ve discovered from times before most of the toxic chemicals available today were available, some even as far back as the sixteenth century.” The pins that hold together chairs are carved from antlers scattered in the woods around his home. Take a look at a few of his offerings, each one-of-a-kind, made by hand, and customizable.

Photography via Brian Persico.

Go to Persico’s online shop for more wares, already made. Select wares are also available via March.

More makers and artisans from upstate New York:

• Hudson Workshop: Heirloom Wood Furniture from a Hungarian Craftsman
• Living Above the Shop: Ceramic Artist Paula Greif in Hudson, NY
• A West Coast Design Shop Opens in Upstate New York