Welcome to my new blog!

I’ve been talking about it for a long time. I’m excited to share with you some of my observations about faux bois and my journey as a concrete furniture maker.

If you type “faux bois” into a search engine, you’ll see everything from wood wallpaper designs to antique European benches and planters. If you focus your search on “concrete faux bois furniture” you’ll still find a wide range of subjects. At closer glance, most of the furniture tends to fall into 2 categories.

The first type is quite whimsical and appears to be made from trees and branches. This style is heavily influenced by the traditional French faux bois style that was introduced to the world in the mid-1800s.

Another style, which came to the southwestern United States via Mexico, is called “trabajo rustico” or rustic work. This style of faux bois often features “manmade looking” split logs and planks as well as tree trunks and branches.

When I began learning to create faux bois furniture, I set out to become well-versed in all traditional styles so I could have a broad base that would enable me to collaborate with my clients.

That being said, I definitely have a favorite style. Because I am fascinated with secret gardens and wilderness, I love sculpting furniture with a very natural, organic style. I seek to create original and compelling works of lasting art that can also serve as furniture, not the other way around. I want outdoor sculptures to look like they are ancient and are quite possibly still alive and growing.

 

 

Drawing Inspiration for my Faux Bois From Nature

Imagine the type of furniture you would stumble upon while wandering around an old growth forest or your favorite story of an ancient fantasy world. That’s what I think about when I set about to design my pieces. More than anything, I want the profiles and details to be lyrical, elegant, and comfortable, serving as a welcoming and healing embrace of Nature.

Artists create from their own experiences. I have a passion for trees and vines because it’s what I love and what I grew up with. As a child I spent a lot of time in the forests of Northen Michigan. In the Fall, my family hiked into the woods to see the leaves changing color. In Winter, we got out the snowshoes and cross country skis to enjoy the dense quiet of a snow covered forest. In Spring we searched the woods for morel mushrooms, and Summers were spent beneath the cool canopy of leaves and at the beach. The wild shoreline of Lake Michigan offered all kinds of interesting pieces of driftwood tossed by the waves, from forgotten forests.

Now that I am in Virginia, I am enamored with amazing and inspiring trees. I’m still fascinated with the cypress swamps, the gnarled live oaks and the crepe myrtle trees that line the city streets of Norfolk. I have a great collection of driftwood–gifts from the nearby Chesapeake Bay.

I am blessed to be able to create what I have a passion for and I hope that your creative journey is filled with Nature’s greatest inspiration.

~ Diane

For more information about faux bois furniture, or to commission a special piece for your home or garden, please visit my website: fauxboisfurniture.com