A story of seamless creation, from demolished decades-old houses to eco-friendly hardwood furniture

“The process of creation is a benefit of construction,” says master craftsman Clifford Espinosa.

After harvesting pieces of hardwood from a demolition site, Espinosa would go to his workspace and, with no design in mind, tell his staff, “We need to create a table today.” He’d see pieces of wood scattered on the floor and transform them in his head into furniture. He would then draw the skeleton of his vision on dry soil and find more pieces to fit his seemingly impossible puzzle of a furniture. “If we have a guide, it becomes a limitation. The process of creation should be simultaneous: hands on, hearts on, and minds on.”

Furniture- making is beyond pure aesthetic for Espinosa, who is also director and partner at Espinosa Arts and Design. Integrating ergonomics and raw craftsmanship, he claims to create functional art in the form of furniture pieces. “Art [ should] serve the people and not only the views of [ the artist],” he says. He believes that the talent for creating should not only be for one’s self- expression but also for the good of others.