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.
$14,251 / item
ORO-OS1 Stool by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
ORO - OS1 stool by John Eric Byers ORO collection Dimensions: 38 x 38 x 51 cm Materials: maple hardwood + gold metallic lacquer Hand shaped + hand textured + hollow core stacke...
Maple
$14,251 / item
ORO, OS2 Stool by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
ORO - OS1 stool by John Eric Byers ORO Collection Dimensions: W 38 x D 51 x H 38cm Materials: maple hardwood + gold metallic lacquer hand shaped + hand textured + hollow core ...
Maple
$28,503 / item
Reveal Bench Sculpted by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
Reveal bench sculpted by John Eric Byers Dimensions: 16” x 54” x 14 in Materials: Carved lacquered maple hardwood All works are individually handmade to order. John Eric Byer...
Maple
$18,138 / item
ORO, OS3 Bench by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
ORO - OS3 bench by John Eric Byers ORO collection Dimensions: W 76 x D 38 x H 38 cm Materials: maple hardwood + gold metallic lacquer Hand shaped + hand textured + hollow core...
Maple
$1,900 / item
H 24 in W 35 in D 19 in
Solid Bentwood Side Chair Stool, Velvet Upholstery by Raka Studio
By Raka Studio
Located in Cape Girardeau, MO
A side/filler chair made in solid ashwood by bending wood. Three of the legs have been made using the wood-turning technique to adopt an abstract natural wave-like design. It has bee...
Velvet, Ash, Bentwood
$2,709
H 30.32 in W 44.1 in D 20.87 in
20thCentury Italian Wooden Carved Upholstered Hallway Entrance Settee Sofa Bench
Located in Carimate, Como
A beautiful and sleek Italian wooden bench or settee of fine quality with excellent profile carvings and detail decors, this is a great and elegant hallway sofa...
Wood, Fabric
Juniper Stool
By Sun at Six
Located in San Jose, CA
A simple, versatile stool, designed to function as both accent and traditional seating. Its simple silhouette belies intricate construction, with 10 through-tenon joints used in the ...
Leather, Oak
$688 / item
H 39 in W 19.25 in D 20.5 in
Kartell Masters Counter Stool in White by Philippe Starck & Eugeni Quitllet
By Kartell, Philippe Starck
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Kartell also offers a stool version of the Masters chair, winner of the Good Design Award 2010 and the Red Dot Award 2013, and a worldwide best seller. The legs are lengthened and the seat is shrunk, but the frame's unmistakable graphic look, created by the weave of the silhouettes of three iconic chairs, remains the same. Masters Stool...
Plastic
$4,500 / set
H 32.5 in W 47 in D 26.5 in
Art Deco Guglielmo Ulrich Style Scroll Arm Seat Benches Newly Upholstered
By Guglielmo Ulrich
Located in Chicago, IL
Art Deco Guglielmo Ulrich Style Scuptural scroll arm seat benches Newly Upholstered - Pair Rare and Unique Pair Italian Art Deco Sculptural Seat Ben...
Brass
Victorian Steer Horn Vanity Bench Side Chair C1890
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Rare and fabulous steer horn vanity bench with a suede fabric. In excellent vintage condition with minimal wear. Horns are tight and sturdy with no damage. Truly a rare form.
Horn, Fabric, Hardwood
Pink Stretch Stool
By Carnevale Studio
Located in Providence, RI
Carnevale Studio's most popular collection, “Stretch”. Through experiments with a number of different materials I chose latex, bungee and rope for their bright colors and wondrous ...
Metal
$18,548 / item
H 18 in W 56 in D 20 in
Stool/Bench Modern Medieval Handmade Horsehair Iron Woven Textile Fringe Tassel
By J.M. Szymanski
Located in Bronx, NY
HORSE HAIR BENCH NO. 2 J.M. Szymanski d. 2018 Contemporary furniture at its finest. Horsehair textile and blackened iron are combined to create an exciting juxtaposition of elemen...
Steel, Iron, Wrought Iron
$6,772
H 16.93 in W 61.42 in D 16.54 in
Pine Bench Les Arc by Charlotte Perriand, French Modernism, 1970s
By Charlotte Perriand
Located in Antwerp, BE
Pine Bench Les Arc by Charlotte Perriand, French Modernism, 1970s Pine bench designed by the French designer Charlotte Perriand in the 1970s. It is c...
Pine
$20,790 / item
H 18 in W 56 in D 20 in
Contemporary Hand Carved Blackened Steel Bench with Handwoven Horsehair in White
By J.M. Szymanski
Located in Bronx, NY
HORSE HAIR BENCH NO. 1 JM. Szymanski d. 2019 Contemporary furniture at its finest. Horsehair textile and blackened iron are combined to create an exciting juxtaposition of elements...
Steel, Iron, Wrought Iron
$17,300
H 18.12 in W 53.55 in D 17.72 in
Pierre Jeanneret PJ-SI-33-C Cane Bench / Authentic Mid-Century Modern
By Pierre Jeanneret
Located in Zürich, CH
This item expresses a specific rawness. There is no need for precise execution or the desire to appear sophisticated. It is simple, self-evident, and direct. It is made out of basic ...
Cane, Teak
$1,560 / item
H 20.83 in W 19.22 in D 18.19 in
All Around Cedar Stool, Designed by Marco Piva, Made in Italy
By Marco Piva
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Scroll down and click "view all from Seller" to see more than 400 other unique products. (1.8) Stool made from a single block of scented cedar featuring almost archaic essential for...
Cedar