SHORELINES

23 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2016 Vol :1 At first blush, a remote patch of woods near the shore of Smith Lake seems an unlikely spot for an award- winning furniture studio. But the Cochran family had reasons both practical and sentimental to move Wood Studio from Nashville to rural Winston County in 2005. It was a way to escape big-city rents yet stay in range of clients in Nashville, Birmingham and beyond. It wasn't far from Decatur, where brothers Keith and Dylan Cochran grew up helping their father, Randy, in his backyard woodworking shop. And Keith already lived in the area, where his wife, Allison, is a wildlife biologist for Bankhead National Forest. Just as important were shared memories of good times on the lake. "We'd spend weekends at Smith Lake camping and fishing and swimming," Keith recalls. "We'd always have a canoe or a bass boat. It was close to home but seemed so different." "Decatur's pretty flat, and I grew up in Fort Payne, looking at mountains," adds Randy. "I was delighted to discover the hills and woods of Bankhead and Smith Lake. To me, Smith Lake looks like Little River Canyon with a cork put in it!" The natural setting complements Wood Studio's organic aesthetic. Crafted from air-dried Southern hardwoods, the clean-lined designs are both functional and beautiful. They appear to have evolved to their essence, like woodland creatures. "I like to tinker with something for a long time to get it right," Randy admits. "I've always admired the simplicity of how nature puts something together. If you want gewgaws on something, I can't do that. I've always aspired to simple elegance." He certainly achieved that with the lauded Lookout Mountain rocking chair. The oil-rubbed, brass-pinned, mortise-and-tenon frame suspends a taut leather seat and back, the whole resting at a jaunty, inviting angle. "I designed it to rock the boys in when they were babies," Randy says. "The initial design was more square, then it became more rounded and tapered." He made it for his own satisfaction, not to put in production. But in 2001, soon after Keith and Dylan became partners in the Nashville shop, 9/11 hit and business fell off sharply. "A friend suggested showing the rocker to the Sundance Catalog," Randy says. "They picked it up and Opposite: Photo by Ber na r d Tronc a le – Brothers Keith and Dylan Cochran began helping their father, Randy, in his backyard woodworking shop while growing up in Decatur. Top Center: Photo by Ber na r d Tronc a le – Keith creates a joint for the Cochran's signature rocking chair in their studio on Smith Lake. Above: Photo by Ber na r d Tronc a le – Tools line the walls of the brothers' studio as they produce custom pieces for clients across the country.

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