“I’m a thinker,” says Alabama-born Grant Gill, whose exquisite furniture designs stem from a background in fine-art sculpture and a stint in Slovakia, just down the Danube River from where Thonet’s influence famously reverberated out of 19th-century Vienna. Dropping out of the master’s program at Florida State University and moving home to pursue his true passion, Gill found a mentor in Michael Morrow of Birmingham’s MDM Design Studio, working mostly on custom commissions. A year later, Gill was moonlighting with his own work, ultimately launching a five- piece collection featuring his favorite Ivan lounge chair (with seats upholstered by Montgomery leatherworker Jamey Johnson) and a superlative cabinet dubbed Dimitry. Moving to Nashville encouraged Gill to invest full force, forming a new studio for his bench-made creations. Traditional joinery techniques impart an heirloom quality, while low-VOC finishes and North American hardwoods keep them sustainable, especially with Gill’s plans for urban harvesting on the horizon. And although this fall will see his sophomore launch—a limited-run series of dining tables and chairs in cerused ash—Gill continues to relish commissions. “I love working for architects particularly. They send over these beautiful, immaculate drawings. It’s amazing.” grantgillfurniture.com
