Featured Member — Wills Koeniger
Wills is a North Carolina based furniture maker. Studying furniture design has allowed him the opportunity to create furniture that investigates personal relationships through material, form and function. Primarily working in wood and metal, this summer Wills is a wood and sculpture intern at Anderson Ranch Arts Center.
We caught up with Wills to hear more about his interests within the furniture field.
Tell us a little about yourself — where you’re based and how you got started making furniture.
I’m Wills, a North Carolina based furniture maker and student in my final semester at Appalachian State University. I began making furniture in a high school craft and design class. I then went on to study furniture design at Appalachian State where I quickly became absorbed with furniture’s ability to profoundly impact users. I currently work at Anderson Ranch Arts Center as an intern and recipient of their Artistic Internship and Award Program. I assist workshops in the Woodworking/Furniture Design, Digital Fabrication and Sculpture studios.
What inspires your work? Who are some of your inspirations for furniture making?
Some furniture makers that inspire me are Annie Evelyn, Tom Loeser, Curtis Buchanan and Wendy Maruyama. I really appreciate their abilities to use function and craft to create work that speaks to something larger. Personal Inspirations for my work have varied through projects but I most heavily look into the people and relationships nearest to me. I am currently working on a new project centered on moments shared in community and the question of how we can build on uneven ground.
What does being a part of the furniture community mean to you?
The furniture community means so much to me. Furniture making is a strong force that brings people together. I can proudly say some of the strongest connections I have made in my life are through furniture. The shared experience of creating something is so empowering and allows for so much understanding of the built world.
Tell us about your preferred way of connecting with clients and customers.
I don’t currently run a business around my furniture practice but I do promote my work through my Instagram (@wills.makes)!
Do you have a specific joinery technique, favorite tool, or favorite wood that you like? Why?
The most inspiring materials to me are Appalachian hardwoods. I love feeling connected to the materials that I use and knowing where they come from. I want the materials that I use to jibe with the environment that I live in. Going outside and seeing species that I use in the shop allows me to deeper understand the material I’m working with and have much more reverence for where it comes from.
Check out Wills’ profile page and follow him on Instagram