I aspire to make good things, with my own hands, for people I can meet. The quality of a thing depends on everything that goes into it-- from the philosophy of the maker through to the materials used to build it. I strive to use the most excellent materials I can find, salvage locally, or buy from my community. My hope is for the things I make to be a joy to use, pleasant to look at and lasting. I love working with my hands, because I learn from my hands. Physically interacting with the material pushes my mind to find appropriate and fitting solutions that are unavailable without putting my hands to the task. Because I am making each piece myself, I am in control of the making process, the quality of materials and integrity of the building methods. Meeting the people I make things for yields a much greater insight into a client's actual tastes, wants and needs for a piece. Many times the process of meeting an individual, brainstorming and sketching with them, and finally building a beautiful and useful piece for their home transforms a client into a friend.

I generally approach a concept from the starting point of the materials; in this case, a humble pallet found outside of Tomita's shop. I wanted to retain the inherent structure and construction of the original pallet while communicating a few, noticeable details from the original Chaboo. To that end, I made the outside surfaces very touchable, almost soft, and broke the surface with a consistent, 3/4inch division along the length of the piece. The double-layered construction not only references the visual language of the pallet, it also adds to the inherent strength of the piece and adds multiple levels of functionality. My Chaboo is very strong, usable as a bench, table, or stepping stool. The secondary layer provides a convenient secondary shelf and a "pocket" within each leg. The nature of the materials in this case allows for a low-cost, highly sustainable, easy to build, yet durable, functional and beautiful piece of furniture that I hope you enjoy.