For me, crafting home furnishings is both a practice of embodied living – expressing myself in a way that unifies the physical and spiritual – and a study of people now and before. We have so much in common with our collective ancestors, as much as we may protest our differences with them. Perhaps everyday objects and furniture in the home can show us how much our stories intertwine. I often use design, sometimes playfully, to explore this bridge between past and present, interpreting traditional American furniture motifs using modern forms, then bringing the designs to life with practices and materials that honor the wisdom of old.

Originally from a small town outside of Raleigh, Amanda approached the woodworking craft after a brief NYC career in the performing arts. She put down roots in Waynesville, NC where she studied woodworking at Haywood Community College and began investing in the local small business community. Amanda’s work has won awards at Artfields (Lake City, SC), the International Woodworking Festival (Atlanta, GA), and ISFD’s Innovation and Design (High Point, NC).