I shared iconic Canadian studio furniture maker Gord Peteran’s favourite pieces with our readers on February 25. You can read it here.

I got very excited when Gord mentioned Michael Hurwitz as the artist behind his favourite internationally made piece, as this meant I had a great excuse to contact him. Hurwitz has been a maker I’ve looked up to for years. His visually simple mix of flowing curves and Japanese-inspired design is what I try to bring to my work, and only dream of becoming a master of design and fabrication like Hurwitz. Using not only different materials, but also adding texture to wood, is something I enjoy doing.

Michael Hurwitz is an American studio furniture maker who works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He’s been crafting beautiful pieces since 1979, when he graduated with a BFA from Boston University’s Program in Artisanry. Hurwitz has had a number of solo gallery exhibitions, including at The Peter Joseph Gallery and Pritam and Eames. His work is included in The Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston, Massachusetts; The Smithsonian Institute, in Washington, D.C.; and the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Art, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hurwitz is a leader in the studio furniture world and has inspired many other designers and makers over the years.

You can learn more about Hurwitz’s work at MichaelHurwitzFurniture.com.

What is the piece you’ve made that you’re most proud of?

Hurwitz: My recent “Lantern Cabinet” felt like a successful resolution. I had hoped to make a large cabinet that would appear to be lightweight, hence the choice and scale of materials to allow the transfer of light, as well as the “arms folded and at rest” gesture of the base, which contributed to the illusion of weightlessness. I also wanted the detail of the door grill and the rosettes to draw the viewer closer, and then closer again. It did what I hoped it would do, and while building it I felt like it drew from everything I know about making furniture.

What Canadian-made piece by another artist do you like the most?

Hurwitz: Peter Pierobon’s “Driftwood Dream” jewelry box is absolutely sublime. Peter has always been a master of realizing the power of simplicity and the importance of the material itself, and this piece manifests both of those qualities in a quiet and powerful way. The weathered perch with its accentuated and turbulent grain makes for a beautiful backdrop for the simple box, and reminds us of the true nature of the material.

What internationally made piece of furniture do you like the most?

Hurwitz: When I first saw Shiro Kuramata’s “Miss Blanche,” it knocked the wind out of me. Who, in their right mind, wouldn’t want to suspend reality– perhaps indefinitely– and float on a bed of roses? But since he doesn’t come from a woodworking tradition, my thoughts go to Peder Moos and his boat-shaped bed. This piece pre-dates Wendell Castle’s stack-laminated work by at least 20 years, and manages to project an aura of delicacy rare for pieces centered on use of that technique. But since he’s dead– and difficult to interview– I will focus on the work of Toshio Tokunaga, who is currently having a show at Ippodo Gallery in New York. In particular, his piece “Crochet Chair” is another sublime exercise in apparent simplicity and subtle interplay of surfaces, except with the added twist of the asymmetrical terminations of the crest rail.