Custom furniture maker and wood worker Seth Rolland
  • Gallery Representation

     

    Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY

    Bellevue Art Museum Store, Bellevue, WA

    Highlight Gallery, Mendocino, CA

    Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum Store, Santa Barbara, CA

    Milwaukee Art Museum Store, Milwaukee, WI

    Gardiner Museum of Art, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

     

  • Press

    American Craft magazine, Spring 2024 [view]

    The Queue: American Craft Council interview blog [view]

    The Artisan Furnituremaker, by Darrell Peart, 2023, p. 90-91

    Craft in Common, by Edwin Hagenstein, 2023

    Australian Wood Review, article “Finding your Voice” 12/3/2023 [view]

    Art Chowder magazine, cover and feature article, Jul/Aug 2022 [view]

    New York Times special section 3/11/2020 [view]

    New York Times, Home Section, Currents Column February 2014

    Western Art and Architecture Magazine June 2013

    Fine Woodworking Magazine Back Cover August 2010 [view]

    Fine Woodworking on line slide show [view]

    500 Cabinets, Lark Books, 2010

    500 Judaica, Lark Books, 2010

    New York Times Home Section, Currents Column 2/5/2009,   [view]

    500 Tables, Lark Books, 2009

    Design Book 8, Taunton Press, 2009 [view]

    Muhibah, inflight magazine of Royal Brunei Airlines, feature, May 2009

    Jefferson County Leader, Feature Article, 10/29/2008

    500 Chairs, Lark Books, 2008

    Seattle Times, NW Weekend , 7/24/2008

    Interior Design Magazine, May 2008

    Woodworkers Journal ezine, Feature Article, May 2008, [view]

    Hometone.org, Feature Article, April 2008

    Pacific Northwest Home Magazine, Feature Article, Feb 2008

    Woodworker West Magazine, Feature Article, January 2008 [view]

    Fine Woodworking, January 2008

    Woodworker West Magazine, September 2007 and January 2007

    Interior Design Magazine, June 2007

    Custom Woodworking Business Magazine, December 2006 [view]

    Luxe Magazine, Fall Issue, 2005

    Wood News Online, 2005 [view]

    400 Wood Boxes, Lark Books, 2004

    The Workshop Book, Taunton Press, 2004

    Port Townsend Leader, Jefferson County Week, 10/22/2003

    Modern Masters show #612, Home and Garden TV, 12/20/2001

    Fine Woodworking magazine, October, 2001

    Object Lessons: Beauty and Meaning in Art Guild Publishing, 2001

    Taos News, Tempo, 12/27/2001

    Rocky Mountain News, 6/30/2001

    The Taos News, Tempo, 7/10/1997

  • Selected Exhibitions

    Rhythms, Wharton Esherick Museum, group show, Paoli, PA

    Wood, Jefferson Museum of Art and History, group show, Port Townsend, WA

    Currents 2020, Schack Art Center, Everett, WA  [view]

    Balance and Tension, solo show, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA [view]

    Wood-in-vase-ives, Wharton Esherick Museum, Paoli, PA

    Knock on Wood, Bellevue Art Museum biennial, Bellevue, WA [view]

    Reaching Beyond, Whatcom Art Museum, Bellingham, WA

    The Art of Fine Furniture, Winona County Historical Museum, Winona, MN

    Community Collects, Chrysler Art Museum, Norfolk, VA

    Rising Starts, Northwest Woodworkers Gallery, Seattle, WA

    30th Annual Contemporary Crafts, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

    Cascadia Furniture Exhibition, Maltwood Museum, Victoria, BC, Canada

    7th North American Sculptural Wood Invitational, American Art Company, Tacoma, WA Square One Art Mine, Port Hadlock, WA

    Alchemy of the Abstract III, Northwinds Gallery, Port Townsend, WA

    Art of Craft, b.j.spoke gallery, Huntington, NY

    Sit and Reflect juried show, Snohomish Arts Council, Everett, WA

    Spring Faculty Invitational, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN

    Small Boxes juried show, Wharton Escherick Museum, Paoli, PA

    Above and Beyond juried exhibit, Phoenix Airport

    Taos Invites Taos, Invitational Show, Taos, NM

  • Awards

    2021 – Maker of the Year, runner up in World category, Australian Wood Review [view}

    2015 – First Prize, Wharton Esherick Museum show “Vases”, Paoli, PA

    2015 NICHE Award winner for Salish Sea Bathtub

    2014 – John and Joyce Price Award of Excellence, Bellevue Art Museum Biennial, Bellevue, WA [view]

    2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006- NICHE Awards Finalist

    2011, 2008, 2006 – Carol Duke Artist Award of Excellence, Bellevue Art Museum, WA

    2010 – First Prize, Wharton Esherick Museum show “Desk Accessories”, Paoli, PA [view]

    2010- NICHE Awards Winner in Furniture Category

    2007 – 1st Place National Design Portfolio Award for Residential Furniture, CWB Magazine [view]

    2003 – Award for Funtional Art, Sausalito Art Festival, Sausalito, CA

    2003 – Emerging Artist Award, Bellevue Art Museum Fair, Bellevue, WA

    1996, 98, 2000 – Recipient of the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Scholarship for study at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO

    2000 – Award for Excellence, Boulder Artfair, Boulder, CO

    1999 – First Place Award, Boulder Creek Festival, Boulder, CO

    1996 – Primary Award Winner Silverhawk National Fine Craft Competition

  • Teaching

    Port Townsend School of Woodworking, Port Townsend, WA

    Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO

    Marc Adams School of Woodworking, Franklin, IN:

    Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, ME

    Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN:

    Highland Hardware, Atlanta, GA

    Minnesota Woodworkers Guild, Fall Seminar 2013, Minneapolis, MN

    Corvallis Woodworkers Guild, weekend seminar, Corvallis, OR

    Vancouver Island Woodworkers Guild, Victoria, BC, Canada

  • Education

    1986 – BA Williams College, Williamstown, MA: Degree in Philosophy and Environmental Studies

    1996, 98, 2000 – Furniture making workshops at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO

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

  • Gallery Representation

     

    Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY

    Bellevue Art Museum Store, Bellevue, WA

    Highlight Gallery, Mendocino, CA

    Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum Store, Santa Barbara, CA

    Milwaukee Art Museum Store, Milwaukee, WI

    Gardiner Museum of Art, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

     

  • Press

    American Craft magazine, Spring 2024 [view]

    The Queue: American Craft Council interview blog [view]

    The Artisan Furnituremaker, by Darrell Peart, 2023, p. 90-91

    Craft in Common, by Edwin Hagenstein, 2023

    Australian Wood Review, article “Finding your Voice” 12/3/2023 [view]

    Art Chowder magazine, cover and feature article, Jul/Aug 2022 [view]

    New York Times special section 3/11/2020 [view]

    New York Times, Home Section, Currents Column February 2014

    Western Art and Architecture Magazine June 2013

    Fine Woodworking Magazine Back Cover August 2010 [view]

    Fine Woodworking on line slide show [view]

    500 Cabinets, Lark Books, 2010

    500 Judaica, Lark Books, 2010

    New York Times Home Section, Currents Column 2/5/2009,   [view]

    500 Tables, Lark Books, 2009

    Design Book 8, Taunton Press, 2009 [view]

    Muhibah, inflight magazine of Royal Brunei Airlines, feature, May 2009

    Jefferson County Leader, Feature Article, 10/29/2008

    500 Chairs, Lark Books, 2008

    Seattle Times, NW Weekend , 7/24/2008

    Interior Design Magazine, May 2008

    Woodworkers Journal ezine, Feature Article, May 2008, [view]

    Hometone.org, Feature Article, April 2008

    Pacific Northwest Home Magazine, Feature Article, Feb 2008

    Woodworker West Magazine, Feature Article, January 2008 [view]

    Fine Woodworking, January 2008

    Woodworker West Magazine, September 2007 and January 2007

    Interior Design Magazine, June 2007

    Custom Woodworking Business Magazine, December 2006 [view]

    Luxe Magazine, Fall Issue, 2005

    Wood News Online, 2005 [view]

    400 Wood Boxes, Lark Books, 2004

    The Workshop Book, Taunton Press, 2004

    Port Townsend Leader, Jefferson County Week, 10/22/2003

    Modern Masters show #612, Home and Garden TV, 12/20/2001

    Fine Woodworking magazine, October, 2001

    Object Lessons: Beauty and Meaning in Art Guild Publishing, 2001

    Taos News, Tempo, 12/27/2001

    Rocky Mountain News, 6/30/2001

    The Taos News, Tempo, 7/10/1997

  • Selected Exhibitions

    Rhythms, Wharton Esherick Museum, group show, Paoli, PA

    Wood, Jefferson Museum of Art and History, group show, Port Townsend, WA

    Currents 2020, Schack Art Center, Everett, WA  [view]

    Balance and Tension, solo show, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA [view]

    Wood-in-vase-ives, Wharton Esherick Museum, Paoli, PA

    Knock on Wood, Bellevue Art Museum biennial, Bellevue, WA [view]

    Reaching Beyond, Whatcom Art Museum, Bellingham, WA

    The Art of Fine Furniture, Winona County Historical Museum, Winona, MN

    Community Collects, Chrysler Art Museum, Norfolk, VA

    Rising Starts, Northwest Woodworkers Gallery, Seattle, WA

    30th Annual Contemporary Crafts, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

    Cascadia Furniture Exhibition, Maltwood Museum, Victoria, BC, Canada

    7th North American Sculptural Wood Invitational, American Art Company, Tacoma, WA Square One Art Mine, Port Hadlock, WA

    Alchemy of the Abstract III, Northwinds Gallery, Port Townsend, WA

    Art of Craft, b.j.spoke gallery, Huntington, NY

    Sit and Reflect juried show, Snohomish Arts Council, Everett, WA

    Spring Faculty Invitational, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN

    Small Boxes juried show, Wharton Escherick Museum, Paoli, PA

    Above and Beyond juried exhibit, Phoenix Airport

    Taos Invites Taos, Invitational Show, Taos, NM

  • Awards

    2021 – Maker of the Year, runner up in World category, Australian Wood Review [view}

    2015 – First Prize, Wharton Esherick Museum show “Vases”, Paoli, PA

    2015 NICHE Award winner for Salish Sea Bathtub

    2014 – John and Joyce Price Award of Excellence, Bellevue Art Museum Biennial, Bellevue, WA [view]

    2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006- NICHE Awards Finalist

    2011, 2008, 2006 – Carol Duke Artist Award of Excellence, Bellevue Art Museum, WA

    2010 – First Prize, Wharton Esherick Museum show “Desk Accessories”, Paoli, PA [view]

    2010- NICHE Awards Winner in Furniture Category

    2007 – 1st Place National Design Portfolio Award for Residential Furniture, CWB Magazine [view]

    2003 – Award for Funtional Art, Sausalito Art Festival, Sausalito, CA

    2003 – Emerging Artist Award, Bellevue Art Museum Fair, Bellevue, WA

    1996, 98, 2000 – Recipient of the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Scholarship for study at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO

    2000 – Award for Excellence, Boulder Artfair, Boulder, CO

    1999 – First Place Award, Boulder Creek Festival, Boulder, CO

    1996 – Primary Award Winner Silverhawk National Fine Craft Competition

  • Teaching

    Port Townsend School of Woodworking, Port Townsend, WA

    Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO

    Marc Adams School of Woodworking, Franklin, IN:

    Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, ME

    Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN:

    Highland Hardware, Atlanta, GA

    Minnesota Woodworkers Guild, Fall Seminar 2013, Minneapolis, MN

    Corvallis Woodworkers Guild, weekend seminar, Corvallis, OR

    Vancouver Island Woodworkers Guild, Victoria, BC, Canada

  • Education

    1986 – BA Williams College, Williamstown, MA: Degree in Philosophy and Environmental Studies

    1996, 98, 2000 – Furniture making workshops at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO