Recreating Greene & Greene

Ipekjian is self-taught. His earlier career gave him the ability to work precisely, and helped him to develop excellent problem-solving skills. “I enjoy the challenge of figuring it out,” he says, “and I’m not afraid to try things I haven’t done before.”

Ipekjian has spent so much time working with original pieces and drawings that he has become adept at interpreting the original drawings of Charles Greene. Pointing to one drawing he remarks, “That’s his representation of a cloud; you can see it in other pieces.”

On the day of my visit, Ipekjian was working on a custom table that had been drawn by Greene, but never constructed. Working from a copy of an original sketch, he was carving details in the legs. “I’m not very good at predicting how long it will take to do something. For this table, I figured the four legs would take a day, but it’s taking me a day to do each one. This isn’t production work; each piece is a little different,” he explains.

When the Blacker house was built, there was a music cabinet in the living room that the current owners wanted reproduced. Original drawings existed, but didn’t show the details of the exteriors of the upper doors – and the whereabouts of the original was unknown. Ipekjian made his best guess, and constructed the piece. “Unfortunately,” he says matter-of-factly, “a photo of the original surfaced shortly after I had this completed, and my guess was wrong. So I get to make a new pair of doors.”

Getting the details exactly right has been a key element to his success, and the original pieces contained an incredible amount of intricate details that aren’t readily apparent. “There’s a subtlety to this furniture that you really can’t get unless you’ve seen a lot of it up close,” Ipekjian says.

His curiosity goes well beyond solving technical problems. Discussing the mechanism of a drop-front desk, Ipekjian questions where the details came from: “Did the customer ask for this, or even notice it? It could have come from the guy who made it, or Henry  (Greene) may have had it all drawn out.”

Ipekjian can’t keep from talking about the details – how something is put together, what lies behind the detail, and what that detail does for the entire piece. He likely knows more about the details and construction of this furniture than anyone. Describing the techniques of Peter and John Hall, the craftsmen who built the originals, Ipekjian says, “The Halls didn’t do anything the quick and easy way, but I think they were having fun, seeing what they could do.”

Ipekjian’s skill and attention to detail have brought him to a place that most woodworkers only dream about. He works in a pleasant space, at a comfortable pace, recreating some of the finest furniture ever made. His reputation keeps him busy. “If everything I have talked with people about comes through, I’ll be busy for the next three or four years. I’m comfortable, but still I can’t keep from worrying about what I’ll do after that,” he says.

Unfortunately for the rest of us, Ipekjian doesn’t have any plans at this point to teach or write about his work, “I’m too busy really doing the work. I work a lot of hours because it’s fun, and I love what I do.” Pointing to a stack of lumber leaning on the wall next to some shelves he says, “You might be interested in that wood and those tools; they belonged to Charles Greene.” The tools were worn from use but well cared for, and the lumber was marked with Greene’s name and address from many years ago.

The tools and lumber were freely given to Ipekjian. He also has a sense of gratitude for where he is today. “I can’t explain it, or possibly tell someone else how to get here, I’m fortunate to be where I am.” 

When studying old furniture and its makers, I often wonder what it was like at the time. Why did they do things a certain way? What were the reasons for doing this, and how was it done? James Ipekjian has spent nearly 30 years asking those questions – and discovering many of the answers – about the furniture of Greene and Greene. He remains curious and eager to find the answers to the questions he still has, and in the meantime, he has another table leg to carve.  PW