Maloof Interview

CustomRockingChairs.com

Sam Maloof: Being True to Himself

By David Donnelly
Reprinted from Woodworking International Magazine, Feb, 1989
Photography by David Donnelly

One of the “fathers of the American Crafts Furniture Movement,” Sam Maloof is self-taught, has a style uniquely his own, and can boast pieces in permanent museum collections and the White House. How did this all come about for the son of a Lebanese immigrant? By being true to himself and doing it his way.

Sam Maloof earned his reputation as America ’s best-loved woodworker through his distinctive furniture designs. Working primarily with walnut, the arms, legs, seats, and backs of his chairs flow together with the gently rounded joinery that he created. To honour his contribution to woodworking, the American Craft Council recently awarded him their coveted gold medal, in recognition of his outstanding artistic and technical achievements as a furniture-maker during the past four decades. He is only the seventh person to receive this distinction in the council’s twenty-year existence. His work has been exhibited and collected by such institutions as the Vatican Museum in Rome , the Smithsonian Museum ’s Renwick Gallery in Washington DC , the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston , and the Metropolitan Museum in New York .

To understand his popularity, picture this scene which took place last summer at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado . Tage Frid, a craftsman/teacher of equal stature, watched with disbelief as a Maloof coffee table sold at a fundraising auction for $6200. “Whew,” he said with a twinkle. “I’m going to start making coffee tables and sign Sam’s name to them!”

Passing on Knowledge

In his seventies, Sam still maintains a rigorous schedule of turning out fifty to sixty pieces of furniture a year. In spite of his full schedule, he also finds time to teach his techniques to new generations of woodworkers. His elaborately photographed book, Sam Maloof: Woodworker, was released in paperback in September by Kodansha International USA, and Taunton Press is planning to produce a video with Sam showing the lifestyle and environment of a woodworker. (Note: David Donnelly subsequently served as videographer on Fine Woodworking Magazine’s Sam Maloof Video Profile.)

Anderson Ranch, where he conducts annual workshops in the wood barn named in his honour, described him as “one of the fathers of contemporary American craft furniture.” With excitement and anticipation, twenty amateur and professionals make the summer trek to Anderson Ranch in the resort village of Snowmass , Colorado , to hear him speak and share his insights on furniture.

Developing a Joint

The focus of his workshops is teaching how to make the half-lap joint that is his trademark. The joint appears to grow right out of his chair backs, and organically unites the backs and seats.

Here’s how Jonathon Fairbanks, curator of the American Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston , describes the joint in his introduction to Sam’s book: “Perhaps the hallmark of Maloof furniture is its half-lap joint, exposed where the legs meet the seat. This is a complex tongue and groove joint, which follows the contour of the chair surface. Structurally sound and visually appealing, this joint artfully provided detail at the point of transition.”

Although it is best known from his chairs, Sam explained that it can be used for all kinds of applications. “The joint really started out as a hand-made joint,” he said. “I didn’t use a router on it. Then I saw what I could do with a router, so I put a hip on it. Then I thought, well why not make three hips? Then I thought rather than square, why not make it round? So I experimented with the cutters I needed to do that. That’s how it developed. I’ve got it now where I don’t think there have to be any more changes on it. I can just about make with my eyes closed.”

When he’s not teaching the particulars of furniture-making, Sam is equally articulate and courteous discussing his background and philosophizing over the state of his craft. “When I started out, I didn’t know a thing about furniture. I had not read any books or magazines on how to make furniture. I only knew I wanted to design and make furniture, so I did. I am self-taught.”

Before turning to woodworking, Sam worked for a while as a graphic artist and learned then just how important the eye is for measuring. “I’ve never gone by measurement of a rule,” he said. “Just measurement of my eye.” His eyes are so accurate that he can make a full set of chairs hat will never vary by more than 1/16”.

“Quite a few years ago, I was told my work was Egyptian-influenced, but I didn’t know a thing about Egyptian art. I’d also read that I was influenced by Scandinavian furniture. But I started making furniture right out of the Army in 1945 and it wasn’t until the ‘50s that Scandinavian furniture really made a big hit in this country (The United States).” It was the Scandinavians, he added in all fairness, who really turned furniture around.

Designing Simplicity

Sam prefers designs with simple lines, free from unnecessary decoration. His curves are simple and flowing, edges soft and rounded. Hard lines or soft lines gracefully direct the eye along the piece, giving it unity.

“I’ve always maintained that the most difficult thing to design is a simple piece of furniture and the most difficult piece of furniture to make is a simple piece. So I’ve never embellished my furniture with a lot of hoopla. The furniture I’ve designed has stayed pretty much where I started.” He added that he’s always followed a different drummer and isn’t swayed by changing styles. “If I have a philosophy, it’s being true to what I do and not letting trends or fads sway me one way or the other.”

Design for Sam Maloof is inherent and very personal. You either have the talent for it or you haven’t. It’s not something that can be taught, although natural skills can be honed and developed. “But this does not take away from a person who enjoys working with wood and doing reproductions. I’ve seen excellent period furniture reproductions done by home shop woodworkers.”

Copying pieces and using wood to the level of our ability is what is important if you are to grow as a woodworker. Sam cited a passage from his book in which he quoted Leonardo da Vinci: “The student who does not surpass the master fails the master.” Then he paraphrased da Vinci and added, “The student who does not surpass the master not only fails the master, he fails himself.”

Sam’s style definitely belongs to the twentieth century, but he believes that it’s important to look at the past and borrow from it. Long after being told that his work was Egyptian-influenced, he visited Egypt and was surprised to discover a stool from King Tut’s tomb that closely resembled one of his own design. Perhaps that’s why he feels hat contemporary styles sill maintain their roots in the past.

Sam (left) talking with his friend Tage Frid.

Last modified: December 30, 2006