Skylar Morgan
Craftsman extraordinaire Skylar Morgan puts his understated spin on a new line of modern furniture
Itβs no coincidence that Skylar Morgan is at home in Atlanta. A Montana native but a modernist at heart, this talented craftsman followed his passion to a place where he could live the dream every day. “I actually researched the fastest-growing city in the South with the most young people,” he says. “And Atlanta was it.”
Many a design pro in the city turns to Skylar Morgan Furniture + Design (SMFD), a studio specializing in custom furniture for commercial and residential spaces as well as high-end architectural woodworking. Working in whatever material the project calls forβbe it wood, metal or even plasticβMorgan can bring to life an already-conceived design or create a one-of-a-kind custom piece. “Ninety percent of the time, itβs something thatβs already designed,” he says. “But we still like to focus on as much modern or contemporary design as possible. When we get these fun projects I love getting to the shop every day. I hate leaving at night. Itβs not βworkβ for me at all.”
Still, Morgan readily admits that wood is his preferred medium. “Iβve been woodworking since I was little, probably 12 or 13 years old, with my uncle at his cabinet shop. I started to go into architecture but quickly found out that Iβm very hands on; I really need to create with my hands. I tried diΞ©erent things but wood just stuck. Especially in modernism, because wood is the only material that can really warm up a space.”
Not surprisingly, Morgan has translated his love for wood and modernism into an additional ventureβa furniture collection that he calls Doc. “Itβs going to be a line of 15 to 20 pieces. Theyβre all my creations, things that have the look and feel of my style. Itβs extremely edited, all beautiful woods.”
But his chosen varieties may sometimes surprise. “Walnutβs always been my favorite type of woodβand white oak. But Iβve recently started using something called No. 1 Common. Itβs basically a wood thatβs discarded by the mills because it has defectsβlike big black knots. Most people donβt want those but I go in and take all those pieces because, to me, thatβs the most beautiful part, especially the graining around the knot. Itβs absolutely beautiful. And thereβs the βgreenβ side of it, too; Iβm taking discarded wood and using it.”
Careful study goes into each piece of Doc. furniture, not only the design but the material, too. “We have to βreadβ the piece of wood,” Morgan explains. “We have to know what itβs going to do because wood moves; itβs a living product. Itβs not like steel; itβs constantly moving.”
This ultimate attention to detail has a huge payoff, too. “With Doc.βgiven the woods and ο¬nishes we useβyou donβt wear the piece out, you wear it in; it just gets better and better over time,” Morgan says. “We pay attention to how the piece is going to be used and how itβs going to look in 20 years; we want it to look better then than it did when we delivered it.”
But one has to wonder: Why the name “Doc.?” As it turns out, itβs Morganβs middle name; he was named after his grandfather, whom he respects as role model and a business man. Thus, itβs a daily reminder of what Morgan hopes to accomplish as a designer and woodworker.
“Doc. is short and simple, just like our line,” he says, “and easy to remember. The name seems to ο¬t perfectly.”
Doc. is available through SMFD and Verde Home. For more information, visit smf-d.com, docbuilt.com or verdehomeinc.com.