Twelve years ago, California-bred Jeff Johnson headed east in search of studio space that was "both affordable and accessible to New York City."

Detail of silver cube at the table?s center.

Johnson, a fine furniture maker, began his search in New Paltz, but eventually found the perfect structure—an old firehouse in Poughkeepsie, which he has all but rebuilt into the open-design space that serves as both his home and studio. Just as Johnson approaches each of the pieces he sells and exhibits, incorporating a long-held fascination with kinetics and geometric form, he is now starting to make the furniture that will fill his living space, the culmination of what this artist calls "a six-year adventure."

With both a B.F.A. (San Diego State) and an M.F.A. (U. Mass, Dartmouth) in furniture design, Johnson finds it somewhat ironic that, although he "failed algebra four times in college," it is the elegant nature of physics that permeates his conceptualizations of seemingly ordinary, functional objects. Take, for instance, a chair Johnson designed "for a person to sit in for exactly 45 seconds." The steel chair, which now resides in Johnson's bedroom, features a steel ball that zigzags through lengths of channeling before it drops, exactly 45 seconds later, to the floor.

Though this piece may be viewed as whimsical-to-the-extreme, Johnson's commissioned work—something the artist refers to as "regular furniture"—still employs "a sculptural quality." His "January Chair" is a perfect example: Fabricated of brushed steel with graceful arcs and a sleek, modern design, it is both beautiful and comfortable.

Then there is Johnson's series of wooden wall cabinets—typically three feet high by seven and one-half inches wide—that pivot open from the center. "The idea was to try and figure out the most interesting, interactive approach for each cabinet," says Johnson. "The whole door moves either right or left, so, rather than a static image, lots of things start to happen when the cabinets are opened."

Johnson's work is anything but static. It is, rather, as he describes his renovated home/studio space, "a work in progress."

Photos by Al Noak/on location.