Eric Wallner

I consider English my second language: the first is seeing. Or more accurately, visualizing.

At an early age I discovered that it was more satisfying to build the things I wanted than to buy them. While often motivated by a lack of funds, making things taught me patience, craftsmanship, even perseverance, but mostly it taught me how things work. Over time I found that unrelated projects like building airplanes or learning to sew had the marvelous tendency to cross pollinate future undertakings with better, more creative solutions. It opened my eyes to the possibility of using materials and construction methods in inovative ways. And I soon took on increasingly complicated projects that actually worked — like telescopes, airplanes, a quirky complex house, and furniture.

Before developing an interest in Design, my interest had long been in the natural world. Early on I photographed and illustrated birds, and ground telescope mirrors to study astronomy. While attending Design school to be an illustrator I built two ultralight airplanes. The second was used to aerial advertise for a local radio station over open-air concerts and events. First attempts at furniture design combined lessons from aircraft construction with an interest in R. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes — some truly wacky tube and cable-braced tensegrity chairs were brought to life during this time. There was also a lightweight 4x5” film view camera milled from scrap aircraft aluminum made for Nature photography, a passion of mine. To adequately stiffen the camera while keeping it’s weight down I used a type of structural truss normally used to support aircraft gas tanks inside wings. Again, insights and construction methods learned while building one project were applied to others with excellent effect. Forty years later the camera is still a joy to make photographs with, rivaling the most advanced digital commercial cameras. It may be tedious to use, but that simply gives time to actually study the subject closely and imagine the best possible image of what I’m seeing.

In working as a furniture designer-builder, I seek clean forms, inovative structure, and economical use of materials, but all at the service of comfort. Complex joinery and common furniture styles interest me less because I enjoy the challenge of working within my own specific skill set (and tools) to create something new. My Table & Chairs are a good example of this. It’s success stems from the clarity of the design — comfort first, with the intentional removal of the unnecessary.

Customers tell me how their table and chairs play a central role in family life, how easily friends relax around it after dinner, how their children prefer doing homework at theirs even if they can’t explain why. It is incredibly gratifying to learn my well-considered handwork has become a cherished part of people’s lives.

Be well,

Eric J. Wallner Dodgeville, Wisconsin, USA