Go Behind This Southern Furniture Maker's Playful Repertoire

A Charleston transplant by way of Mississippi, Ben Little turned furniture-making into a platform for playful experimentation when he launched Benjamin Paul Studio in 2017. Using state-of-the-art methods and FSC-certified, sustainably harvested domestic hardwoods, he frequently fashions custom pieces for top designers (Joni Burden, Allison Elebash, Jesse Vickers) while constructing original designs of his own—always distinguishing his work through fine craftsmanship and fun material accents (think leather, ceramics, mixed metals and, more recently, colorful stains). Below, he shares more with LUXE.

What motivates you as an artisan?

I revel in the details. Many are things you’d likely never notice—whether grain direction, where we place the brass inlay, or the table base being made out of a single board. These things matter to me, and they add to the fuller experience of the piece.

Does working with designers elevate your work?

Absolutely. The best designers are great at plugging their palette into the landscape around them. That’s why I see some of my darker, richer-toned pieces headed out West, and then lighter tones with multiple-step glazing processes here in the Lowcountry. For example, Betsy Berry loves challenging finishes, and her commissions have really pushed me—which makes the work so much better.

What’s next?

I’m currently all in on colored wood. We’re releasing a six-piece collection this spring, and our plan is to do butter yellow, blueberry and blackberry—a purply black shade paired with silver-toned metal. We also have mulberry combined with brass, plus black and a beautiful mossy green.