Inspired by pure geometrical forms — circles, rectangles, squares, cylinders and spheres — John Eric Byers’s furniture is deceptively simple. A closer inspection, however, shows that behind each coffee table, bench and chair there is great care and meticulous attention to detail. It is little wonder why the woodworker is considered to be among the foremost figures of the modern American Studio movement.
Born in Rochester, New York, in 1959, Byers trained in the workshop of Wendell Castle, “the father of the art furniture movement.” The renowned American sculptor greatly influenced Byers, and the New York native found inspiration in the work of other artist-designers while in Castle’s workshop such as Donald Judd and British ceramicist Hans Coper.
Following his studies under Castle, Byers established a studio and workshop in Newfield, New York. There, he uses a variety of specialized techniques in the design of his furniture, including wood milling, lamination, hand-shaping, hand-tooling and finishing, often with casein milk paint, which is believed to have been used in ancient Egypt.
Byers’s side tables, stools, sideboards, credenzas and other pieces are sculpted by hand in his preferred material — hard, blackened maple. Each design demonstrates his keen focus on detailed surface texture and structure.
Byers’s works have not gone unnoticed over the course of his decades-long career. He has won multiple awards, such as the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award and the New York Foundation of the Arts Award. He has been included in the Smithsonian’s Oral Archives of American Arts as well.
Byers’s pieces feature in permanent collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Mint Museum and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.
Find vintage John Eric Byers tables, seating, case pieces and storage cabinets.
$15,542 / item
C4 Chair Handsculpted by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
C4 chair by John Eric Byers Dimensions: 63.5 x 58.5 x 45.7 cm Materials: Carved blackened maple All works are individually handmade to order. John Eric Byers creates geometri...
Maple
$15,542 / item
C2 Chair Hand-Sculpted by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
C2 chair by John Eric Byers. Dimensions: 49.5 x 45.8 x 77.5 cm Materials: carved blackened maple All works are individually handmade to order. John Er...
Maple
$15,542 / item
C3 Chair Hand-Sculpted by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
C3 chair by John Eric Byers Dimensions: 49.5 x 45.8 x 77.5 cm Materials: carved blackened maple All works are individually handmade to order. John Er...
Maple
$15,542 / item
C1 Chair Handsculpted by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
C1 chair by John Eric Byers. Dimensions: 49.5 x 45.8 x 77.5 cm Materials: Carved blackened maple All works are individually handmade to order. John E...
Maple
Sculpted Chair N3 in Solid Oak Wood
By Sóha
Located in Paris, IDF
Chair made of solid oak (+ linseed oil) (Outdoor use OK) Dimensions: H. 82 x 48 x 48 cm (SH 45 cm) Warm furniture’s made by Russian designer Denis Milovanov from "Soha" studio. Sim...
Oak
Sculpted Chair N2 in Solid Oak Wood
By Sóha
Located in Paris, IDF
Chair made of solid oak (+ linseed oil) (Outdoor use OK) Dimensions: H. 82 x 48 x 48 cm (SH 45 cm) SÓHA design studio conceives and produces furniture design and decorative objects...
Oak
ClassiCon Venus Chair by Konstantin Grcic
By Konstantin Grcic
Located in New York, NY
As far as Konstantin Grcic was concerned, the thought of designing the 1001st tame chair version with four legs was just too boring. Instead he created from the intelligent combinati...
Wood
Rounded Dining Chair by Rejo Studio
By REJO design studio
Located in Riyadh, SA
Minimalist design, maximum style. With two part cone in ash wood to give it a chic modern profile. The chair is part of the Rounded Collection. Di...
Ash
$1,205Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 29.5 in W 23.5 in D 19.75 in
Moroso Shortwave Chair by Diesel Living
By Moroso, Diesel Creative Team 1
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Although this chair is small in stature with a feminine side, it still has a lot of attitude. Perfect as a dining chair or side chair, the wing arms are designed for style and functi...
Polyester, Birch, Ash
Sculpted Chair N1 in Solid Oak Wood
By Sóha
Located in Paris, IDF
Chair made of solid oak (+ linseed oil) (Outdoor use OK) Dimensions : H. 82 x 48 x 48 cm (SH. 45 cm) SÓHA design studio conceives and produces furniture design and decorative objec...
Oak
$5,450 / set
H 37.01 in W 21.26 in D 23.63 in
Matching set of Six Sculpted Walnut Dining Chairs, Italy, 1955
By Carlo Mollino, Gio Ponti, Ico Parisi
Located in Dronten, NL
Wonderfully organic carved walnut dining chairs made in Italy circa 1955. The chairs are unmarked, but are definitely inspired by the designs of Carlo Mollino. Matching set of 2 armc...
Fabric, Walnut
$1,000Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 32.29 in W 23.23 in D 20.48 in
Post-Modern Style Aurora Chair in Sculpted Solid Wood and Upholstery
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The Aurora collection aka Dawn marks a new exiting moment in our design history, in where we dove deep in to the creativity unknown, to create a collection that would be able to hold...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
ClassiCon Aërias Chair by Tilla Goldberg
By Tilla Goldberg
Located in New York, NY
Aërias surprises with formal conciseness, lightness and innovative weaving: the familiar pattern of the Vienna wickerwork is reinterpreted with a changed scale and leather as a mater...
Steel
JOLIE DINING CHAIR - Modern Sculpted Design in Creme Boucle
By Susan Hornbeak-Ortiz
Located in Laguna Niguel, CA
The Jolie Dining Chair is a stylish and comfortable piece of furniture designed with a modern aesthetic. It features sweeping lines that add a sense of elegance and sophistication to...
Upholstery
Sculpted Contemporary Black Chair, Ztista Chair by Faina
By Victoria Yakusha
Located in Warsaw, PL
Sculpted contemporary black chair - Ztista Chair by Faina Design: Victoriya Yakusha Material: steel, flax rubber, biopolymer, cellulose Dime...
Steel
$10,950 / item
H 31 in W 18 in D 17 in
Surface Chair by Terence Woodgate and John Barnard for Established & Sons
By Established & Sons
Located in London, GB
Two Royal Designers for Industry, one from the world of furniture design, and one from the world of Formula 1 racing car design collaborated. With an ...
Other