I began my college education studying architecture. The design work was eye-opening and challenging, but a desire to work at a smaller scale led me to product design. En route to a bachelor's degree in industrial design from Carnegie Mellon in 1996, I completed a second degree in philosophy focusing on design theory. It was a time of long hours of studio work filled with problem solving, design process, prototyping, user testing, ergonomics, CAD, manufacturing methods, and the history and theory of design. A penchant for woodworking, however, pushed me to explore furniture design, a niche where small scale design work could be combined with the many varieties and richness of wood.

Initially an avocation, woodworking gained an increasing presence in my life. It served as the subject of a Master's thesis in philosophy that I completed at Carnegie Mellon in 2000, and thereafter, the focus of several years work designing and building furnishings and interiors. In 2002 I enrolled in the renowned Fine Woodworking Program at the College of the Redwoods. Two years of intensive study taught me much about the material and the extraordinary level of quality that can be achieved with the right application of time-honored techniques. Since completing the program, I have divided my time between production and custom furniture designing and making.