The Path of a Woodworker: The Unique Journey of Bryan Kerr
Bryan Kerr
The path of a woodworker is unconventional. A drive to learn and a passion to create is fundamental. There isn’t one “right” path to this creative career. For me it is a journey in understanding who I am, how I wish to live my life, and the guidance of many wonderful people along the way. It’s a lifetime of steady personal and professional growth, experienced and enjoyed, molding my character and my ability to create something that will outlast myself; an impression of my time here.
Natural Modernism is our design aesthetic at KERR. A culmination of my experiences, I am drawn to the natural and unique grain flow of the wood and allow it to be the focus, encapsulated within clean precise lines, providing a calming and minimal feel.
Many have asked me how I got started in this career path and my answer is not a glamorous one. It’s a back breaking, fifteen-hours a day, manual labor answer. I started at the age of 20, working in New Hope, Pennsylvania as a white-glove mover. A humble beginning where I learned many skills I still use today and worked with folks I have kept in contact with over these past 26 years. It was through this job that led me to the valued necessity of hard work, long hours, and eventually to the breathtaking pieces created by George Nakashima Studios.
The company I worked for was contracted by Nakashima Studios to deliver their pieces to all corners of the lower United States. Touring their workshops on one particular visit opened up a world I had never considered before. The opportunity of experiencing Nakashima’s work at such a young age fueled a spark in me. Seeing his forms and material forever changed my perception. It set me on a path to spend as much time as possible around this special art form, this natural material that struck me so profoundly.
Soon after this experience, life took me to Seattle, and I found myself working for a company called McKinnon Furniture. A craftsman style furniture company producing beautiful traditional handmade pieces. Oak, mahogany, maple, cherry, and walnut - I was surrounded by classic wood species and began my time there delivering furniture all over the Pacific Northwest, while also apprenticing in their shop with whatever hours I had leftover after deliveries were completed. I knew I had to start at the bottom, but I was determined to learn as much as I could and eventually worked my way into the shop full time after a few years. Beyond bed parts and side tables, my main responsibility was building all the drawers for the entire shop. Hundreds of drawers - years of drawers, half-blind and sliding French dovetailed drawers. At today’s pace, this may seem slow or tedious in developing one’s skills, but I loved it and over my time at McKinnon I became extremely proficient at making beautiful, well crafted, dovetail drawers. A fundamental skill when making handmade furniture.
My path soon led me to build upon my experiences, and I found myself on the Fabrication team at the renowned Henrybuilt. My time at this amazing company taught me more knowledge, skills, and lessons than I can recount. The teams I became a part of - and the ones I eventually led - created wonderful relationships, many I still retain today. The Henrybuilt design and standards permeated my subconscious. I align deeply with the high level of quality, the emphasis on minimal design, and their overall production efficiencies, allowing space for the natural materials to be experienced. Henrybuilt’s impression upon me was so profound, I worked there two separate times with a two year break in between. During my hiatus, I followed yet another path to a small boutique Seattle furniture company that most directly influenced my eventual decision to go out under my own name and create KERR.
Chadhaus, a stunning Seattle furniture studio with modern farmhouse design, was an exceptional opportunity to manage a woodshop and get a first hand look at running a business. The effort, the joy, the hardships, the obstacles, the flexibility, the dedication, the satisfaction, the accomplishments, Chadhaus taught me everything a small business could encompass. I am eternally grateful for the experience of working there and am still to this day great friends with the owners, Chad and Emily. They offer advice and guidance and cheer me along, truly wonderful, talented, and special people.
After almost two decades of woodworking, after recently celebrating my 40th birthday, and was on my way to Asheville, I realized I was ready. I was ready to design my own work. I was ready to curate my own space, my own vision, and how I wanted to define a successful business. With my wife, Erin, by my side - at the helm of the company - I knew this new path would require the same hard work from my early days but would be exponentially gratifying. I realized that over the last twenty years, learning how to make furniture, I was only as good as those around me guiding me along, and it would be the same on this adventure as well. KERR is only as good as the community we build and the support system around us. Never has this been more clear to us than over the past six months.
For those who love woodworking, or believe that you might, I encourage you to start. Begin without pretext. Move at a sustainable pace. Stay open to learning. Enjoy the time, the projects, the stories, and the relationships you accumulate along the way. There is no one path with furniture making. Listen to others you admire. Find out how you best learn whether it be at a school, in a program, at a company, or in an apprenticeship. Find the community that best supports you.
I have a feeling my path is far from complete. There is still so much on the horizon for me and for us at KERR . I’m excited to see what new things we learn, new relationships we make, and how our community grows.
- Bryan
