A Bothell Artist Is Mixing Wood and Metal to Create These Custom Furniture Pieces
Sean Carleton's work can be seen at the Bellevue Arts Museum's Artsfair, July 27-29
By Chelsea Lin July 20, 2018
This article originally appeared in the July 2018 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the July 2018 issue. Click here to subscribe.
Bothell artist and craftsman Sean Carleton credits his intimate relationship with nature to the years he spent growing up on a Woodinville farm. That relationship is evident in the angular, industrial-meets–Art Deco furniture and sculptural pieces of mild steel and wood he’s crafted for his business, Carleton Fine Work, since 2013. But the level of craftsmanship speaks to his 15 years of working as a metalworker and woodworker, when he fabricated everything from ferryboats to dairy equipment.
Most of his work is by commission, but pieces are sometimes available at places such as The Island Gallery on Bainbridge Island and Bellingham’s Artwood Gallery.
His designs are sometimes shaped by the materials he’s working with (such as the windshield of a client’s gull-wing aircraft), when he’ll “work around it, as if setting a gem in a ring.” Other times, materials play second fiddle to the design.
Whether he’s building a shelf or a dining table, Carleton says, his most valuable lessons come from making mistakes. Those are the moments when the work shapes him, rather than the other way around.
Follow Us
Noir Lux Lights Up Fourth Avenue
The Seattle candle brand’s new two-level pop-up brings workshops and community gatherings downtown through September.
It’s often said that good things come in threes, and for Colina Bruce, founder of the lifestyle and home fragrance brand Noir Lux, that’s certainly proving true. With a flagship shop in Belltown and an outpost in Ballard, Bruce is rounding out a Noir Lux trio with the opening of the Noir Lux Collective on…
Better Together: This Take on Co-Housing Emphasizes Quality and Community
The Seattle project presents an out-of-the-box model, where investors are also residents, and the design focuses on longevity and tenant retention—not profit.
Growing up in rural Detroit, Chad Dale spent many after-school and weekend hours playing with neighborhood kids in an open lot near his house. It’s an experience he always hoped his children would have someday, but by the time he became a father in Seattle, land was at a premium: either already developed or prohibitively…
A Different Kind of Mattress Store
Photos courtesy of Bedrooms and More. If you’re looking for the best mattress shopping experience in Seattle, the right choice often comes down to materials, transparency, and expert guidance – not just price or brand names. Bedrooms & More specializes in natural and organic two-sided mattresses and offers a no-pressure showroom environment where customers can…
Craft Value: The Founder of Henrybuilt Reflects on What He’s Learned in 25 Years of Business
In 2001, after 15 years of working in publishing—where I was a founding team member of two venture-funded technology companies—I decided to start a different kind of company: one that made physical products. This company, Henrybuilt, would combine product innovation and craft under one roof and sell directly to the end user—the homeowner—so that we…