Chris Horney, Woodworker
Since 1997, Chris has designed and built handcrafted furniture in his Greensboro, NC studio. Known for its clean lines, ideal proportions and intricate embellishments, such as inlays and carvings, each piece uses classic joinery techniques and excellent craftsmanship.
While Chris draws on many traditional forms for inspiration, his original designs are more referential than reproduction, using mixed woods and some non–traditional materials to maintain a fresh perspective.
Chris received the 2014 Don H. Johnson Award, presented by Creative Metalsmiths, at the 45th Annual Fine Designer Crafts Show in Raleigh.
Chris Horney
My work has evolved over 14 years and gone through stages. The most enlightening part of this process has been learning to keep the doors open in my imagination to allow new ideas to influence me and find expression.
For years my work was very delicate with more traditional inspiration. My latest body of work has become more austere in its overall presence and less leggy and fragile, but still with clean lines. Instead of seeking fragility in the form, I am superimposing elegant small embellishments on to a rectilinear outline, and experimenting with the interplay between visual weight versus soulful details.
Color and tone have become more important as I work with exotic woods, veneers, and other materials to distill my designs to their essence. My background as a painter and visual artist is also beginning to inform these new pieces.
