Woodworker Jory Brigham, 37, crafts striking midcentury modern furniture in his studio in Paso Robles, CA. He designs and hand-builds tables, chairs, credenzas, king and queen organic beds made of teak and walnut, and an award-winning ping pong table – known as the Mackenrow – with an inlay of orange brass. His furniture is destined to last handsomely for generations, almost like an investment timepiece. Table tennis, anyone?
Jory story | Let’s just chalk up the name to my parents being hippies. Well, that and they always liked to go against the grain every chance they got.
Every man is an island | I was homeschooled on Kauai, where hurricanes would knock down houses and my dad, an architect, was hired to rebuild them. I don’t think my parents planned on staying in Hawaii as long as they did, but there seemed to be a major hurricane every 10 years.
Benefits of no screen time | TV was banned in our house, but that gave me the freedom to explore my creativity in a way most kids never do. I watched my father build houses from the ground up: pouring concrete, erecting timbers and making furnishings to fill them. I began at a very young age to do things with my own two hands on a smaller scale.
Fourth-generation wood whisperer | My great-grandfather, John S. Van Bergen, was a woodworker from Oak Park, IL and Frank Lloyd Wright’s chief draftsman. (His home designs are excellent examples of Prairie-style architecture.)
Defining success | For me, it means knowing I’ve done everything possible to give each piece a voice and its own personality. I allow the material to dictate what the outcome will be. I don’t want to ruin a piece by putting too heavy a hand on it. You get something with a lot of personality and soul.
Even Ellen DeGeneres reached out | Ellen’s HGTV show, “Design Challenge,” involved making a sketch and giving it to someone else to build, which doesn’t really suit how I love to work. So I passed that up.
Taking the builder out of his shop | Then Spike TV invited me to do “Framework,” which allowed me to design and build; they were just as interested in the build process as the designing. It was really fun at first, but it took me away from home for close to 10 months. I couldn’t see my family at all, which was brutal! We were on set sometimes 16 hours a day, and it was difficult being away from my shop, not using the tools I was used to. And I guess I have a problem with the idea of “judging” anyone’s art in general, so it was tough having people pick my work apart. But overall it was a great experience.
How to get your hands on a piece | You can order directly from our website, jorybrigham.com, through DESIGNLUSH in New York City, or LAB STUDIO | DESIGN in Toronto.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME magazine.