Sometimes nature is the best designer for furniture pieces

Antiques & Collecting
Like many art and design companies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Rookwood Pottery drew inspiration from Japan. This standard glaze Rookwood vase was decorated by Kitaro Shirayamadani, an artist who immigrated from Japan. Photo Credit: Toomey & Co. Auctioneers (c) 2026 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.
Like many art and design companies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Rookwood Pottery drew inspiration from Japan. This standard glaze Rookwood vase was decorated by Kitaro Shirayamadani, an artist who immigrated from Japan. Photo Credit: Toomey & Co. Auctioneers (c) 2026 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.

Think of wooden furniture, and most of us picture defined shapes, even lines, and symmetry. Of course, that isn’t always the case. Historically, wood was left with uneven live edges when furniture was made quickly out of necessity, not as a design choice.

While raw edges, twig construction, and irregular shapes gained favor among fans of rustic looks in the 19th century onward, liveedge furniture t…