Michael Coffey blurs the line between carpenter and sculptor. A self-taught master with a career over fifty years in the making, Coffey has consistently broken the boundaries of style and functionality in the decorative arts. Born and raised in New York City, Coffey initially made a career as a social worker before pursuing art seriously in 1972. Teaching himself theory and practice, he was influenced enormously by the examples made by the likes of Wendell Castle, Walker Reed, George Nakashima, Sam Maloof, and others. In 1978, Coffey first presented his Aphrodite rocking chair (pictured above), a monumental oblong curved piece of wood which excited the market and solidified Coffey’s reputation for creativity and skill. Coffey’s work stresses the relationship shared by people with their furniture. Coffey considers himself an artist, but draws a distinction between impersonal visual arts and furnishings. It is important to him that his creations can be used. For Coffey, defying expectations is an important aspect of producing work. Abandoning symmetry in his designs, he prefers to create hollows and rounded shapes which people can fill. To Coffey’s eye, a piece which is perfectly symmetrical is also “quiet,” and does nothing to arouse questions or feelings in the mind of the viewer. Coffey continues to work in his home studio, making little distinction between his design work and his life. His bold works are still a fixture on the secondary market, indicating the lasting value of his style of audacious design, which tosses tradition aside.