Behind This Hamptons Furniture Maker’s Fresh Design Inspiration

Ian Love observing the characteristics of a tree to use for his sculptural furnishings.

Ian Love observing the characteristics of a tree to use for his sculptural furnishings.

Ian Love uses natural materials to craft his sculptural creations.

Ian Love uses natural materials to craft his sculptural creations.

As Ian Love drives through Hampton Bays, he listens for the shrill hum of a chainsaw. The East End is fertile ground for the furniture maker, who seeks out felled trees from local arborists and townspeople alike to carve into sculptural furnishings. Love doesn’t plan designs in advance, instead letting the material and its unique characteristics—an interesting knot or burl mark—guide his creative process.

“I’m often not sure what the final outcome will be,” says the artisan, whose pieces are available at Michael Del Piero Good Design in Wainscott. “One of the beautiful things about this material is you can’t control it.” Since the Brooklynite decamped to Hampton Bays full time, his home has become a playground for works in progress, with an old potato factory in Riverhead also acting as a studio.

Soon, he’ll embark on the construction of a dedicated workshop on his property, allowing him to practice his craft among the natural world inherent to his designs. “The material always has a story to tell, and I want to find it.”

PHOTOS: COURTESY IAN LOVE