Shaking it up with Sawyer Made

Noted restaurateurs Jody Williams and Rita Sodi recently saw their latest project, The Commerce, launch with fanfare in NYC. Behind the scenes, Woodbury, Vermont-based Sawyer Made created the new restaurant’s seating in a style that quietly uplifts the restaurant’s Shaker theme. The Shakers are synonymous with a particular style of early American woodworking that George Sawyer has a particular talent for.

George Sawyer, above, working in his shop on seating for The Commerce

George’s father, Dave, made his first Windsor chair in 1982, the year his son George was born. While both men left Vermont for college—Dave to MIT and George to RISD—they each returned to Woodbury to create beautiful chairs and furniture amidst the natural beauty of their home. Read more about the Sawyers’ multi-generational artistry at their website.

A bench for The Commerce in progress in George Sawyer’s Woodbury, Vermont workshop.