Exhibitor Spotlight: Chad Parkinson
Over the course of his 15-year career, Chad Parkinson of The Furniture Joint has become one of the most sought-after custom furniture builders in Salt Lake City. He can be found working out of his shop near the heart of downtown, sporting huarache sandals and short shorts. Parkinson attracts clients who are searching for his unique blend of mid-century modern and contemporary styles, specifically his pairing of walnut with custom milled brass accents. Parkinson’s skill with traditional hand tools combined with his thorough knowledge of materials and assembly techniques allows him to produce pieces that are aesthetically slender and shapely while being sturdy and ergonomic in their design.
Of his design process, Parkinson notes, “I don’t draw anything. I try to visualize it in my mind. I think over and over about every aspect of the build so that by the time I build it I know it’s going to work.” He has spent his career building and figuring in this manner and believes that self-reliance has been a key factor in his success. “I love experimenting and figuring things out. I would rather do that than take a class. I would figure something out and then come to realize that’s what woodworkers have been doing for 1,000 years and it’s a very cool, validating feeling,” says Parkinson, “I’ve always dreamed up things to make and then I figured out how to do it. I’ve never been scared to try anything new, like whether I’m going to suck at it or not. I feel like it’s served me well.”
Ultimately a woodworker, Parkinson views his career as being much more than just producing furniture for people. “I want to make a connection with the client,” he says, “I want to make a friend. I genuinely like people and if I don’t like you then I don’t want to do the work for you even if the money is good.”
Parkinson advocates that people should furnish their homes with beautiful pieces that are both loved and reliable, rather than the cheap faux-wooden imitations that are of the current trend, “It’s your house you should make it meaningful to you. It’s important because otherwise people just buy stuff… I think that when you surround yourself with things that have a story to them in your home it’s meaningful. When you walk into a home with people who have that kind of stuff there’s a different feeling there.” Parkinson feels that the city is lacking in fine furniture and notes that there are opportunities for growth in people both producing and appreciating the craft.
Parkinson was born in Idaho Falls, ID and settled in Salt Lake City with his wife, Ekaterina, and two children. He has been able to spend much of this year on the road with his family in their renovated Sprinter van driving over nearly the entire continental United States. “It’s this really refreshing feeling to feel that you can go anywhere,” he says, “I’ve never been happier in my life. I’ve never wanted for anything and it’s been fantastic. When we’re on the road my family loves it.” The Sprinter is not only used for family road trips either. Parkinson enjoys hand delivering his completed projects to clients so much that he sometimes drives them cross-country to their destination, another excuse to make a connection with the client and spend time with his family on the road.
Parkinson feels a direct connection to Salt Lake City in many ways, from its growing cultural and artistic centers to Utah’s wealth of outdoor vistas, but envisions his life on the move. “I want a house that feels like a house but I don’t want to be there. I want to travel,” he says, “There are places I would like to go but I’m very happy here so I think I’ll stay for a while. Wherever my wife wants to go, I’d go. As long as she’s happy I could be happy anywhere.”