Tom Stangeland makes furniture informed by Greene and Greene without simply reproducing the brothers’ designs. His work keeps their emphasis on restrained materials, tactile detail and softened forms, while introducing choices of his own—including reverse-taper legs. The distinction offers a useful lesson for anyone designing custom furniture: understand the original design language, then let the piece’s purpose guide what comes next.
What Greene and Greene means in furniture design
Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene were California architects associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. They sometimes designed furnishings to accompany the homes they created. Their furniture is known for considered materials and carefully worked details, including visible joinery, shaped edges and subtle Asian influences.
WOOD Magazine’s 2020 profile describes Seattle furnituremaker Tom Stangeland as a modern interpreter of those principles, not a maker limited to exact replicas. He looks for a combination of fine but restrained materials, relief and texture, softness, and subtle Asian influence. Details such as protruding joint pegs, chamfered joints, exaggerated breadboard ends, inlay and cloud-lift shapes can contribute to that language.
The cues can be quiet. Stangeland remarked that “6 out of 10 people might not pick up on these subtle styling cues.” That is his observation, not a statistic from a cited survey.
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- Paper-laminated veneer top ensures durability and resists wear for long-lasting appeal.
- An additional shelf underneath offers extra storage space for your convenience.
- Wide-angled legs enhance stability and add a stylish accent to the design.
- Crafted with high-quality manufactured wood for durability, ensuring long-lasting use in your home. Dimensions: 23.5"W x 14"D x 22"H. Table tob thickness: 1.77"
- Assembly – Some assembly is needed. Photo may be slightly different from the actual item in terms of color due to the monitor's display
How to distinguish an interpretation from a replica
A faithful interpretation preserves the qualities that make the style recognizable without claiming every new detail came from the original designers. Stangeland’s reverse-taper leg is a clear example: he calls it a hallmark of his own work and says he has not seen it in Greene and Greene’s designs. It is his contemporary design choice, not an established historical feature of the brothers’ furniture.
- Materials: Choose fine woods and use their grain deliberately rather than relying on excess ornament.
- Relief and texture: Let joints, inlay and shaped elements create shadows and invite touch.
- Softness: Ease edges and transitions so the piece feels sculpted rather than sharp or severe.
- Individual choices: Identify which shapes or construction details are your own additions instead of presenting them as historical conventions.
Design the furniture around its purpose
Stangeland’s starting point is practical: “When designing a piece of furniture, always start by figuring out why it needs to exist and what it has to accomplish.” In the profile’s example, he designed a display case to fit a dining-room niche and to keep an artwork visible to a shorter client. Room dimensions and viewing height were design requirements, not afterthoughts.
Rank #2
- Side table with a weathered charcoal finish on table top and beige finish on the base
- Features overextended rectangular top and a splayed-leg look. A shelf underneath the table top provides extra storage space
- The table is constructed of high-quality manufactured wood
- Dimensions: 14"W x 23.5"D x 22"H. Table tob thickness: 1.77"
- Some assembly required. Photo may be slightly different from the actual Item in terms of color due to the monitor's display
For a custom commission, define the constraints before settling on decoration:
- Measure the intended location, including any niche, doorway or clearance that could limit installation.
- Establish what the furniture must hold, display or support.
- Consider who will use or view it, and from what position.
- Develop the form and details around those requirements.
Making a reverse-taper leg
WOOD’s profile describes Stangeland’s table-saw method using a simple taper jig with a fence, cleats and spacer blocks. The feature says the finished leg is one inch smaller at the top than at the bottom; that dimension is specific to the described setup, not a universal taper specification.
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- Table top is made out of high-quality hardwood veneer with wood grain in black finish
- A shelf underneath the table top provides extra storage space
- Wide-angled legs to add accent
- Dimensions: 24"W x 22"D x 23"H. Table tob thickness: 1.77"
- Some assembly required, all parts and instructions included. Photo may be slightly different from the actual Item in terms of color due to the monitor's display
- Start with 16/4 mahogany and bring the stock to the required leg dimensions.
- Cut the mortises for the stretchers and aprons before tapering, as described in the feature.
- Set up a fence with cleats and spacer blocks to position the leg for the taper cuts.
- Make the table-saw cuts on each face to produce the reverse taper.
- Round over the base with a half-inch round-over to give it a more sculpted appearance and soften the edges.
Plan and mark the cuts carefully before using the saw, and keep the workpiece securely controlled throughout. These are the steps reported in the magazine feature, not independently tested instructions; adapt the jig and safety precautions to your own tools and stock.
Fitting a diamond ebony inlay
The profile’s diamond inlay uses thin ebony set into a shallow recess. Grain direction and a careful fit matter: Stangeland orients the ebony grain along the diamond’s long axis, then glues the fitted piece in place and hand-sands it.
Rank #4
- Coffee table with a weathered charcoal finish on table top and beige finish on the base
- Features overextended rectangular top and a splayed-leg look. A shelf underneath the table top provides extra storage space
- The table is constructed of high-quality manufactured wood
- Dimensions: 48"W x 24"D x 19"H. Table tob thickness: 1.77"
- Some assembly required. Photo may be slightly different from the actual Item in terms of color due to the monitor's display
- Rip ebony into strips 1/8 inch thick, with the grain running along the future diamond’s long axis.
- Use a homemade jig to cut the diamond shapes.
- Lay out the inlay on the workpiece and trace its outline.
- Remove most of the recess with a handheld router and 1/8-inch straight bit, routing to about 1/16 inch deep.
- Finish the recess with a sharp chisel, then fit and glue the inlay.
- Hand-sand the inlay flush with the surrounding surface.
Materials, finish and shop decisions
The featured work uses mahogany and ebony. Stangeland advises woodworkers to select materials personally, plan carefully, avoid waste, stay focused when operating tools and build a relationship with a lumber supplier. The profile does not specify a complete bill of materials or recommend a particular supplier.
One sideboard in the feature has the appearance of a natural-oil finish, but WOOD reports that it is finished with durable catalyzed lacquer. Its drawers use hidden ball-bearing glides. Those are details of the featured piece, not a general claim about Greene and Greene furniture or a performance test of the finish or hardware.
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- End table with a weathered walnut finish on table top and light gray finish on the base
- Features overextended rectangular top and a splayed-leg look. A shelf underneath the table top provides extra storage space
- The table is constructed of high-quality manufactured wood
- Dimensions: 22"W x 23.6"D x 23.25"H. Table tob thickness: 1.78"
- Some assembly required. Photo may be slightly different from the actual Item in terms of color due to the monitor's display
Stangeland’s advice on material quality is direct: “Don’t skimp on materials. When creating something beautiful, your time will be your greatest expense.”
Source
WOOD Magazine Staff, “Greene and Greene’s modern master”, published December 30, 2020.
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