Our Story
One small New England town...one small business...together
|
A Daniel Tappan side chair from the mid-1800's,
discovered at a local antique shop.
|
It was only in the 1930’s that the business (already over 100 years old) moved out of the family and into private hands in the Sandwich community, first to Doctor Quinby and Albert Hoag, and then later to Cy Blumberg. Having survived floods that wiped out mills and washed away many patterns in the 1880’s, Tappan Chairs almost disappeared from the Sandwich landscape with the death of Cy in the early 1960’s--yet even then the business was saved at auction and placed in storage for two decades until Gunnar Berg revived and rejuvenated it in the 1980’s and 90’s.
The seventh and latest in this nearly two hundred year-old dynasty of stewards, Adam Nudd-Homeyer has taken ownership of the title “Tappan Chairmaker” for this current age. Immersing himself in a study of the story and build of these singular chairs, he has returned models into modern production, such as a great five-slat rocker, which had not been crafted in a century or more. Moreover, he has introduced a range of fine, local furniture woods from which to expand the selection of the line, and offer to the modern world what this brand has become, both in elegant style and historic story: a line of fine furniture.
The seventh and latest in this nearly two hundred year-old dynasty of stewards, Adam Nudd-Homeyer has taken ownership of the title “Tappan Chairmaker” for this current age. Immersing himself in a study of the story and build of these singular chairs, he has returned models into modern production, such as a great five-slat rocker, which had not been crafted in a century or more. Moreover, he has introduced a range of fine, local furniture woods from which to expand the selection of the line, and offer to the modern world what this brand has become, both in elegant style and historic story: a line of fine furniture.
See How a Tappan Chair is Made...
Musical accompaniment courtesy of Siena Kaplan, Tamworth fiddler and member of the Caravan Band
About the Current "Tappan Chairmaker"
Adam turning rough posts on the C.H. Cowdrey back-knife lathe--also known as the "Tappan Lathe", which has likely been with the business since the late 1800's.
|
Majoring in German, linguistics, and international affairs, Adam felt a calling to the trades before he had even completed his BA in 1998, and he soon thereafter launched his working career in the hands-on world as an apprenticed electrician, engine machinist, and welder before finally synthesizing his skills and degree in 2003 as an industrial arts and pre-engineering educator for students ranging from sixth grade to the community college level. Over the next ten years of teaching, Adam continued his work in the precision welding industry, added woodworking to his skill set as he incorporated it into his school curriculum, and also launched his first business, Sunshine Hill Metalworks, in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire.
|
A move to Sandwich, New Hampshire in 2009 found Adam completing his MEd in sustainability education at the same time as it presented the opportunity to further unite his skills and long-held passion for history, with the restoration of the 150-year old zinc statue of Niobe in 2011 and 2012. Adam’s work (funded privately by the Porter family and done in consult with the Smithsonian Institution) in rebuilding this local landmark--which had fallen and shattered into nearly 200 pieces 70 years before--was covered in the regional, state, and national press. It also not only further sharpened the focus of his metalwork on historic restorations and reproductions (including subsequent work for the “Castle in the Clouds”), it gave rise to his employment as director of the Sandwich Historical Society, itself a nearly century-old institution which carries a regional reputation for its collection, archives, and drive for local preservation.
|
As Adam transitioned from public education into this latest nuance in his career, he became aware of the story and legacy of Tappan Chairs, a chairmaking business which had survived and thrived in Sandwich through a dynasty of both family and community ownership for nearly 200 years. When he discovered that its current owner, Gunnar Berg, had been searching in vain for several years for a young family to pass the business on to, Adam knew and appreciated the calling that he felt to learn and continue this tradition.
With Gunnar’s mentoring, the invaluable assistance of the Sandwich community in helping resituate the business and spread the word of its rebirth in 2013, and the national--and international--support of 112 backers in a 2014 Kickstarter campaign, Adam has worked to recraft historically-based models that were lost to time and introduce fine regional furniture woods into the traditional spectrum of Tappan Chairs’ production--both with great success.
|
The Nudd-Homeyer's own residence, and now seventh home of Tappan Chairs, in the mid-1800's...with Tappan Chairs on the front porch.
|
