Philip Shelton

Philip Shelton is a hand tool woodworker and furniture maker. He grew up in Saint Loius, MO immersed in the woodshop of his father, a Windsor chairmaker. Philip started in the professional woodworking world in landscaping design, making decks and pergolas. He then moved into the world of residential carpentry with remodels and new builds.

After moving to the Olympic Peninsula in 2018, he completed the furniture intensive at the PTSW. A natural fit for the school, Philip joined the PTSW shop tech and then as an instructor the following year.

Philip loves human-built spaces and the tactile experience of interacting with a well-built and thoughtful environment. He loves to create functional pieces that he can use in his everyday life. “Well-built furniture grows a community around it. It’s not often we sit a bit beautiful dining table by ourselves.”

His furniture design style he characterizes as wood-forward. Philip’s work showcases the wood for what it is, without changing or diminishing it. The wood itself is the centerpiece and the aesthetic of his work. A tree house dweller with a deep love of the forest, Philip is insistent that furniture making is not a static activity but one possibility of the lifespan of a tree.

Instagram: Meristem Woodworks