We may say it often, but it bears repeating here: We love hearing from our readers. Y’all are some of the most thoughtful, engaging, and entertaining people out there. You are what this whole magazine effort is all about.
Not long ago, we received an email from Richard in Yorkshire, who has recently become a grandfather twice over. Neither of his grandchildren lives nearby, but as Richard noted, “when they come to visit, one day, the kids will need a chair.” He decided to build a child’s high chair based on the exam article from Issue Three. This is exactly the kind of inspiration we want readers to find in these photo essays of antique furniture – a sense of freedom in seeing how those old pieces were not crafted machine-perfect to rigid plans. That is what makes them interesting and beautiful.
“As you can see from the photo there are all sorts of things wrong with it, if I were ever to make another it would be much better, you know how it goes.” Richard wrote. His high chair is wonderfully in keeping with the lively designs featured in Issue Three. He purchased the ebook version of the exam essay to have access to many more images for his design efforts.
Richard added several features to suit his own needs, including an adjustable footrest and slightly raised seat height, and he bent the rear legs to give additional stability. “I think kids are a little more lively these days than they were formerly allowed to be,” he said. The seat is woven elm bast, as hickory isn’t available in the U.K. and he imagined that rush might be difficult to scrape dried baby food out of.
Nice work, Richard. We hope that you and your grandkids get to enjoy this chair for years to come. Perhaps even their children will use it one day!
-Mike