Woodworker Decker Studio

Mixing natural edges with the elegance of straight lines, Ed Decker's wood furniture seems to breathe as if alive.

It has been nearly four decades since Ed first started working creatively with wood. Spending his days in a shop built by his own hands, this woodworker believes in finding the secrets in his material. “I like to use pieces of wood other people would never think of using,” he said. These are fractured or broken trees often seen during long walks through the Appalachian Mountains or along riverbanks as his canoe floats by. They can also be found while driving down back roads or fallen in a friend's yard. Once discovered, the wood is brought back to his studio near the banks of the Little Tennessee River and allowed to dry, sometimes for years. Twisted, knotted, and formed by nature's hands, these pieces of wood create their own art, while Ed gives them voice. His wood creations are allowed to be themselves, not covered with stain, but rubbed with natural oils that bring a long-lasting glow. A native of East Tennessee , Ed comes from the same Decker family famous for its cherished rustic pottery. Woodworking also goes back generations in the family to the Black Forest of Germany.