After serving in the Marine Corps out of college, Justin Nelson moved to Bend Oregon to become a firefighter. This is where he turned his passion for design and woodworking into a career and founded Fernweh Woodworking in 2015. Nelson developed two of his most iconic pieces in 2017, the Sling Chair and Tripod Table, and during this process he started working more on a full line of small-batch hand-crafted furniture. Find out more about Nelson’s creations and what he thinks the future has in store for him in this week’s Maker Monday.
This Sling chair is made from high quality Walnut, White Ash or Charcoal Ash wood.
Andrew Joseph: How would you define your work in three words
Justin Nelson: Design. Craft. Batch.
These words define our passion around our woodworking business quite well; they flow in and around each other, and they are all equally important. We value good design, we seek it out, we research, we learn about skilled woodworkers past and present. One thing we have learned from this is that good design can never be rushed, and you have to be able to find peace in that process. Once a promising design is formulated, sketched, and roughed out, we pour over the best methods within the craft of woodworking that will not only give us the best results, but that will be able to be produced by our small passionate team of craftspeople in batches of 10-30 at a time.
AJ: What might the design world look like in 10 years?
JN: I hope that in a decade, Americans will be continuing to push off the world of consumerist fast fashion, by making the conscious choice to buy fewer items of higher quality. There is a growing (if late) consciousness among designers and also among consumers about the importance of the global impact of manufacturing and consuming. The design world is becoming more transparent within the industry, and without.
There will be continuation of shared knowledge for the greater good of our planet and humanity as a whole.
This gorgeous Oxbend Bench has an elegant yet simple design. The bench incorporates hand-shaped tubes and a classic wedged-tenon leg design.
AJ: What is something you hope to see trending in design in the future?
JN: I would love to see even more small batch shops in existence! Profitable, well-organized teams of craftspeople who are elevating quality, sustainability, and design in the industry. I have so many friends in this space. It’s a tough way to make a living; but I truly believe it’s a “rising tide lifts all ships” situation.
There is a lot of community within the world of woodworking and furniture design. People are recognizing the importance of teaching trade skills and of taking the time to share these skills. I foresee consumers supporting these facets of design, so woodworking and other intricate crafts don’t become lost languages of design.
AJ: How do you define beauty?
JN: The word we’ve built our business around is the German word “Fernweh” – roughly translated to English it means “To be homesick for somewhere you’ve never been.” That feels a lot like encountering beauty. I think beauty causes a certain reaction in humans: to sit, enjoy, and introspect.
AJ: What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
JN: I very much stumbled into this job/industry, but I love it! I have a business degree from Purdue, spent 4 years in the Marine Corps, which included a year-long deployment to Afghanistan where I worked closely with Afghan Police, and I spent 1 year on a wildfire Hotshot crew with the Forest Service in the West.
Both an occasional chair or an accent chair, the Oxbend is incredibly versatile and minimalistic.
AJ: If you had one more hour in the day what would you do with it?
JN: Spend an extra half-hour with my family, and an extra half-hour at work. That’s the phase of life/business we’re in right now… I’ve definitely been in phases where that whole hour would have to go to work, but I’m working towards the point where the whole hour would go to family.
AJ: What are some of the podcasts you listen to and why?
JN: “The Daily” is my favorite podcast, but I’ve been listening to more books while I work in our woodworking studio the last few years. I love books on cold war history, theology, social justice, politics, and tech.
About the Maker | Justin founded Fernweh Woodworking in 2015 in Bend, OR. With this step into the unknown, he found his deep passion for design through woodworking, eventually specializing in furniture. He developed the Sling Chair and Tripod Table in 2017, and these designs sparked his desire to develop a full line of small-batch hand-crafted furniture. The Oxbend Collection arrived in 2020, rounding out the rest of the collection so that Fernweh Woodworking now offers furniture for every room in a house. A few of Justin’s design inspirations are Sam Maloof (particularly his passion, kindness, and work ethic); Hans Wegner (his practicality and purposeful creativity); and Finn Juhl (his pursuit of perfect curves and natural beauty). Justin studied business at Purdue University. After graduating, he joined the Marine Corps where he deployed on an advisory team working closely with Afghan Police. After moving to Oregon and joining a wildland fire Hotshot crew, he started Fernweh in the off-season from fire.
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