The Clearwater is Dunstone Design’s premier high-backed dining chair. The Clearwater was the first chair Evan designed after returning from his 2001 Churchill Fellowship in “Contemporary Chair Design and Manufacture”. It was originally designed as the companion to the Waterfall stool and has a similar slatted seat. The key to the Clearwater’s superb comfort is in the flexibility of the back. The whole chair is able to respond to the size and weight of the sitter, flexing as required. With through-wedged-tenon joinery, the Clearwater is incredibly strong yet very “alive”. Its sensuous curves and innovative shaping has made it a favourite for those who appreciate craftsmanship and style.The Clearwater chair is equally comfortable at home or around the boardroom table.
The elasticity of the Clearwater was informed by the work of Master Chairmaker Brian Boggs. Evan spent a week with Boggs in his Berea, Kentucky, workshop in 2001. At that time, most of Bogg’s chair designs utilised steam-bent elements to achieve the signature flexibility of his work. Australian timbers, especially the eucalyptus, generally don’t steam bend well (although blackwood is a notable exception). Evan used the spindle moulder to create a back leg with a similar cross-section to a long bow in order to find the same level of flexibility in a chair.
The Clearwater remains one of our most popular and best-loved chairs. From a woodworking perspective, the use of the spindle moulder to produce the tapering elliptical shape of the front and the back legs is both innovative and technically challenging. Many hours of experimentation and research went in to perfecting this process. Dunstone Design is highly regarded within the Australian woodworking community for our creative use of the spindle moulder.
Dimensions: 920mm H x 450mm D x 460mm W
Timber Types: blackwood or jarrah. Other timbers available on request POA.