Ryan Hughes began his journey in the wood trade at 16 when he started working in a fast-paced cabinet making shop. Over the years, he took techniques he learned in the shop home with him where he started building custom furniture. His talents in the visual arts nurtured his skills in construction. Admittedly obsessed with the creative process as a whole, wood continues to be his medium of choice.

“It was a combination of my love for nature and utilizing a natural material for functional art that inspired me to apprentice as a carpenter.” Ryan’s practical experience led him to enroll in a technical program in architecture, to satisfy his love for design and building science. Ryan has tested his mettle designing and building timber frames and log homes, and carries that knowledge into building furniture, “the craft has influenced my furniture in a big way as I often see a beautiful timber framed home as a large piece of fine furniture.”

Ryan has designed furniture from off-cuts and salvaged materials that would otherwise be tragically destined for the burn pile, accenting the featured wood material with custom metal work and even stone inlay. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, Ryan enjoys hiking and kayaking, as well as finding fresh tracks in the alpine.

Giving back to the wilderness that informs his time in and out of the shop, Ryan makes a contribution to the Cumberland Community Forest Society with every piece of furniture sold.