About
Seth Rolland
Since 1990 I’ve been designing and building custom furniture. Thanks to my architect mother and landscape architect father, I was given tools and materials at a young age, and had many discussions about design. My path to woodworking might have begun at age six when I built a raft, or later working on trail crews or during a boat-building class with 83-year-old master John Gardner. But an apprenticeship with custom furniture maker and sculptor Janis Colella taught me that furniture offered a wonderful freedom of expression.
Furniture is interactive and we develop a bond as we eat, sit, play, sleep, work and live with it. When a table, chair, bed or desk leaves my workshop, I hope it becomes part of your life and history through generations of use.
When I’m not in my woodshop I’m usually out in nature—hiking, camping or sailing—where time stops and I find both peace and inspiration.
About the Work
I choose beautiful, sustainably harvested woods for their color and grain. To guarantee the highest quality craftsmanship at every stage, I cut, join, carve, assemble and finish each piece by hand. To achieve some of my fluid forms, I use processes such as steam bending, lamination, kerf cutting (making many slices in the wood) and vacuum forming.
You’ll find work in (at least) three themes that you can sort by under the gallery tab:
Elemental: inspired by the simplicity, beauty and motion of natural forms
Flare: dramatic, split and bent, single-piece wood work with minimal joinery and glue
Stone: natural stone and wood, merged to balance one another, often in dramatic asymmetry
The pieces that are available now are on the Ready to Ship page. Visit the Ordering page for more information on custom commissions.
“I wanted to thank you for the stunning Salish Sea bathtub. It has left everyone speechless! You are clearly very talented and I hope others will give you the opportunity to make something very special for them as well. I especially appreciate your help communicating with my plumber to make sure it would fit the space and function perfectly. You always responded in a timely manner. You should be very proud of this piece. I know I certainly am!”
—MELISSA
“The Rio Grande table arrived safely and I just finished unwrapping it. It is absolutely gorgeous. You are a true artist. What lines! Thanks! (I’m heading back downstairs to look at it again.)”
—ELIZABETH
“We put the Tsubo coffee table in our new space and it’s amazing. I firmly believe that we have the best coffee table ever created. I’ll take photos and send them to you.”
—STEPH