The Furniture Designs of Robert Whitley:

Artistry. In an age of mass-produced, buyer-assembly required bookshelves and desks, it’s a term that is seemingly lost in the world of furniture. That is, until you see the work of Solebury’s Robert Whitley. 

“People think of art as paintings or sculpture,” Whitley says. “That you don’t have to go through such trouble to store clothes.”

A third-generation craftsman, Whitley creates one-of-a-kind tables, chairs and dressers, as well as antique reproductions (which he prefers to refer to as historical copies), a selection of which are available to view at the James A. Michener Museum in New Hope through June 1.

There is a quiet grace and fluidity evident in Whitley’s original works. Each piece’s beauty can be seen in even the most minute details, from hand-forged nails to the inclusion of pegs, joints, bolts and the like—those functional aspects of furniture which are normally hidden from view—as part of a piece’s design. Every element is carefully thought out, enhancing the charm and elegance that makes a Whitley, well, a Whitley.

Whitley was born in 1924, and spent his youth in rural New Jersey near Trenton. He says his time spent exploring farmlands and nature resulted in the design aesthetic he’s honed over the years.

“I was born and raised in the country,” he says. “I saw furrows in the soil, trees in their natural forms, hills and grass: That’s what’s coming out in my designs.”

His earlier pieces convey a rectilinear form with sharper edges, articulated angles and more precise lines. As his work evolved, Whitley tended to the more natural forms of the wood, design working hand in hand with original shape and texture.

He turns to the elegant “Throne Desk” as a key example.

“This kind of piece, this kind of wood is not something you can find anymore today,” he says. “I cut this piece of wood myself in the ‘50s and stored it for years before constructing the desk. I work with the piece of wood, and the combination of different woods as part of the design.”

Further enhancing each piece he designs is an inherited family formula for finish oil. Today, Whitley stresses, many furniture makers use lacquers and stains to protect wood, overlooking the natural elements that make each piece of wood unique and attractive. The oil he uses is as much a part of a piece’s aesthetic as the wood itself.

“View wood as a sponge,” he says. “Put under a microscope, wood is porous. As the finish goes into the wood, subsequent coats combine bringing out the natural qualities and depth. There is a lot of labor that goes into this part of the process.”

Despite his talent for design, Whitley makes his living through antique and fine furniture restoration.

“Mostly, I design furniture for myself; I make what I want to make. I build it, I make it what I want it to be, and then move on to the next piece. I could never crank an exact piece like that out again,” he says.

Whitley notes there are three keys to success in furniture design, the first of which is visual. “I can see something in my mind’s eye, and bring it out in design,” he says.

From there, he moves towards the mental aspect of design, from the size and shape of the furniture, to how all the components fit together to make it function. And finally, he emphasizes the physical capabilities required for construction.

“I’m on my feet eight hours a day and change. I start at 7 and I’m on my feet until 12,” he says. “The construction of a piece doesn’t just happen by itself, it’s extremely laborious. You have to have the strength and stamina to be constantly moving, building, sanding, shaping, carving and finishing.”

His commitment to the artistry behind furniture doesn’t rest with his original pieces; his historical copies are also constructed with utmost care. He endeavors to make each piece in the same way it would have been produced during the period, handcrafting joints, pegs, and even nails paying a sort of respect to craftsmen of the past.

“Historically, there was no differentiation between art and function; all people incorporated art and aesthetics into furniture,” he says. “That all stopped during the industrial revolution, which is when the culture of art and manufacture became separate. That’s why antiques are so valuable: They’re recognized because of their art orientation.”

As Whitley continues to create exquisite oneof- a-kind pieces that hone nature, art and function, he says he is not discouraged by the quiet loss of furniture creation as an art form.

“It’s not good, it’s not bad, it just is,” he says. “It is the way the world evolved.”

The Michener’s Robert Whitley: Beauty, Function and Grace features examples of his contemporary furniture designs and historic copies. Also on display will be Whitley’s commissioned reproduction of The Resolute, the desk President John F. Kennedy, Jr. used in the Oval Office during his administration.

“Each panel is hand-carved,” laughs Whitley. “I could never produce anything like this again.”

Whitley has works in permanent collections at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Museum of Fine Arts in Washington, D.C. and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. For more information, visit www.whitleystudio.com.