Guest Contributor Bill Rowe
As a child, I spent some summers at my great uncle’s in Hillsdale, NY. He owned an old inn from the 1800’s. I was fascinated by the chairs built out of branches on the big old screened-in porch. When he passed away, I inherited some of the furniture, which was made by Indiana Hickory Furniture Company, dating back to the early 1900s.
Later in life, a friend gave me a book on rustic furniture. I read it and was hooked. In the back of the book, there was a list of furniture building courses, so I headed up to the Adirondacks to Camp Sagamore and took a course two years in a row from renouned builder Tom Phillips. After the completion of my courses, I went up again and apprenticed for him for a winter. I came back to Easton and started up my own business, Back to the Woods Rustic Creations.
As a landscaper and designer by profession, I was able to incorporate rustic elements into my woodwork designs, such as garden benches, gates, archways covered in clematis, trellis’ and garden enclosures. All of my outdoor pieces are made of eastern red cedar, and I use tenon construction for strength and durability. I also build interior pieces such as coffee tables, chairs, bookshelves and many more furniture items.
I love the challenge of designing and building something that fits a rustic property, especially like those in Easton. I have been lucky to be able to pursue my dream and passion that sparked way back as a young boy at my uncle’s inn in Hillsdale New York. It is true that our landscapes are a part of who we are and also extensions of our individual identities, which is the inspiration behind my building these unique and artful pieces.
Check out my work at Back to the Woods Rustic Creations on FB, or contact me at 203-452-9904, or email back2thewoods@yahoo.com.
(William Rowe is an Easton resident. He is a professional landscaper and experienced furniture maker).
The Cultural Easton 