Synopsis: Peter Galbert had spent years building Windsor chairs when he decided to push the design into areas that were unexpected. This curved settee is one result of his explorations. Like a traditional Windsor, the seat was the starting point for the design. Once he worked out the shape of the seat, the rest of the elements fell in place around it.

When I first delved into green-wood chairmaking from a life in cabinets and tables built mostly by machine, it was clear that I’d found my way to the work that I had been looking for. It wasn’t so much the Windsor aesthetic that drew my interest as it was a desire to work quietly and closely with the material and tools. Once I began working primarily with hand tools, splitting logs and using steam bending, the road seemed to open in front of me.

I then…