Rob Hare Furniture
26 July 2010
“How Sweet It Is!”
I guess I must be, what, the seventeen-thousandth person to write something about Rob Hare, furniture maker extraordinaire, and one of the things a body always wants to do, I guess, is to come up with something different, something with a new twist to it. But, to me, really, it is just about the man’s work. I did come across one person who, in talking about Mr. Hare’s output, found himself trying to address himself to those who, because they view furniture as something that is only functional, would make their purchases at an outlet like IKEA. That sort of purchase has its place, of course, and in my earlier years, had there been such an outlet (I was young a very long time ago!), I probably would have availed myself of their services.
But there comes a time when one puts away the toys of childhood, and also the unbearably cheap items of one’s first home, the one that had, as pretty much its sole virtue, the fact that Mommy and Daddy didn’t live there, so there were no rules. Of course, after the second or third hangover, those of us with a brain that actually works-and hasn’t been irreparab
ly pickled while acquiring those hangovers-ends up instituting a few self-imposed rules, if only for self-preservation. But I digress.
I really wanted to write about one of the more innovative furniture makers I have come across. His work is so far removed from IKEA that it really doesn’t even belong in the same sentence, so I’ll start this again. I would like to tell you about the work of a man, who even though he personally eschews the term artist, is still producing some of the finest art around, working in fine furniture as his medium.
One of the most fun things in life, I think, is the serendipitous discovery, something you tend to stumble into, as opposed to having actually planned it that way. I bring that up because Rob Hare actually began his artistic life as a metal sculptor, but when he was unable to pay the bills with his art, he turned to cabinetmaking. Over a period of time he began reinterpreting both woodworking and sculpture and eventually ended up combining the two into furniture designs that were all his own. The results, while imminently practical, are nothing short of extraordinary.
A case in point is Mr. Hare’s rendition of dining room furniture in the form of his stupendous Essex Table and Chairs. The table is made from a single plank of figured Claro Walnut and Solid Forged Steel. There are two drawers on either side of the elliptical tabletop for flat ware and place mats. The matching chairs are made of the same walnut and tubular steel legs.
What first caught my eye with Mr. Hare’s furniture, though, is the computer desk we show in the two pictures at the top of this blog. The black wrought iron and almost white tiger maple make a wonderful contrast, as do the shimmering characteristics of the maple itself alongside the flat black iron, but what I find myself particular admiring is the curves Mr. Hare employed in this piece. I also love the way the computer itself is let into the desktop so it becomes the wrist support. There is also a pleasing curve in cabriole legs that have been reproduced in black iron. I have to admit that the secretary desk is something that has always fascinated me, something I keep hoping I might make myself one day-not I hasten to add, at anywhere near this level. But even so, it interests me. Some of them, and now I’m thinking of 
extraordinary examples like the Goddard-Townsend-style secretary desks, can only be described as mind-blowing. The concept of the desk itself, though, is hundreds of years old. But now, in Mr. Hare’s hands, the old has become brand new.
Actually, Mr. Hare seems to have made a practice of not just reinterpreting the old, but taking it in a different direction altogether while still adhering to the most fundamental rule of all: form follows function. We see that in the arm chair, a piece that was originally inspired by Stickley armchairs and couches, but taken here in an unexpected, and entirely pleasing direction. The corner desk of figured cherry and wrought iron is another piece from an especially ancient vineyard (as long as there have been businessmen, there have been desks!), but the fruit of this particular vine, like all of Mr. Hare’s work, is sweet indeed.
Joseph
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4 Responses to “Rob Hare Furniture”
July 26th, 2010 at 7:46 AM
Very nice furniture indeed! I have always wanted to do furniture using metal as well as wood, but I lack the metal working skills. Maybe I should try a collaborative effort.
Joe
July 27th, 2010 at 12:04 AM
Joe, I can see a good business in the making
July 29th, 2011 at 7:18 PM
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