Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Webb.
Leslie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
To say that I chose furniture making as a career is not quite accurate. It chose me. One of the clearest memories I have is cutting a piece of wood for the very first time. In reality, I was not making anything terribly exciting – a shipping crate for a painting. I felt this nervous excitement as the saw blade sank into the two by four. Despite my best efforts, a concept that had been hammered into me during my parochial school education – that each of us has a calling – had eluded me. But in those few seconds, it instantaneously shifted into reality. And my life came into focus in a way I never expected.
While attending Bowdoin College, I fell in love with art and making things. Yet it was while working as a nanny in Maine that I was first introduced to woodworking. One morning at breakfast, perusing a furniture catalog, I commented that it would be great to build beautiful things that were still functional. Robert, the father of the family, said that he didn’t know how to build fine furniture. He did have basic carpentry skills, though, and offered to teach me what he knew. An artist himself, I began working in Robert’s studio a couple of afternoons a week, building shipping crates for his paintings. From the very first time I cut a piece of wood, I knew I had found my calling.
I soon enrolled in and completed the Nine Month Comprehensive Course at the renowned Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine. During my time at the Center, I gained a solid technical foundation and began developing my own aesthetic. Continuing my education, I attended the Crafts and Design Program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. While at Sheridan, I relentlessly challenged my design sense and technical knowledge. Recognition and awards quickly followed, including the prestigious Niche Student Awards. During a summer break, I had the opportunity to apprentice with legendary furniture maker Michael Fortune, an experience I consider invaluable to my success today.
Upon graduation, I moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and opened my own business. I soon began being juried into distinguished shows, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, ICFF, and the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. My works have been published in both books and magazines, and my creations reside in homes from New England to southern California. Moving closer to my roots, I returned to Texas in 2009.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not always been an easy journey, but I am grateful to still be in business 12 years later. The economic collapse of 2008 happened about a year after I started, and I just about lost everything I had. I was fortunate to find a hobbyist with a very well equipped woodshop, who out of kindness for my situation, allowed me shop access for no charge. For the next 2-3 years, I continued making furniture for clients, though it wasn’t enough to completely support me. I also had a second job during that time period. As the economy recovered, my business grew until it was able to sustain me. My advice is to keep your overhead as low as possible for as long as possible. Don’t be embarrassed or discouraged if you have to have a second job. Making a living from creative endeavors can be difficult, but it is a rewarding path. Take some business classes; those skills are just as important as your technical or artistic ones.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Leslie Webb Design – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I create the highest quality custom furniture so customers can have exactly what they want for their home. I see furniture not only as solutions to everyday problems- where do I sit? where do I store this? – but also as objects whose beauty and grace enrich our daily lives. My specialty is designing and building residential furniture of heirloom quality with a contemporary aesthetic, using North American hardwoods. My signature piece is a rocking chair, the Linda Lou Rocker.
I am most proud of the quality of work I produce and the high level of customer service I provide. I work closely with clients to ensure they will be happy with the piece for years to come.
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
Persistence is key. Talent is important, but hard work is critical. There will be many stumbling blocks along the way, some anticipated, some not. Do not internalize them. Failures will help point you in a better direction.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1506 Hutto Road
Georgetown, Texas 78626 - Website: www.lesliewebbdesign.com
- Phone: 215 704 2595
- Email: leslie@lesliewebbdesign.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lesliewebbdesign/
Image Credit:
Leslie Webb
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