Noted furniture-maker expands his practice
An exciting new outlet for local arts and crafts has opened in the Hixson/Middle Valley area. Braxton Mill Artisans’ Market at 8717 Hixson Pike is the companion business to Braxton Mill Furniture, the woodworking studio where local craftsman Sean Braxton makes an array of beautiful furnishings.
Braxton has been a woodworker for most of his life. He learned the craft by watching his grandfather, who was a professional furniture builder, and then by teaching himself.
“I was real young back then, and I just watched him; I was fascinated with it,” he explains. “Then, as I got older, I picked up the tools and taught myself. It came naturally, and I happened to be pretty good at it.”
He continues, “I started out doing smaller pieces, little end tables and corner cabinets and stuff like that—it progressed into bathroom vanities, kitchen islands, tables, beds, nightstands—I pretty much build it all now, with the exception of chairs and Murphy Beds.”
Braxton practiced woodworking as a hobby for many years before going pro. In 2013, he began building furniture professionally, opening Braxton Mill Furniture and working full time to create what has become a highly sought-after line of furniture.
In 2018, he opened Braxton Mill Artisans, a large boutique where local artists and craftspeople are able to market their work. He is currently renting out spaces in the market to over 22 creatives, who are offering a variety of goods and services.
Everything Braxton makes is custom, crafted on a commission basis, and his work is in such high demand that he is unable to keep an inventory. He always has a waiting list, telling us, “As soon as it is built, it is out the door and gone. I don’t even have furniture in the shop—I stay so busy building custom pieces that I don’t have anything to put in my own store.”
He markets his work primarily through social media, meeting new clients by posting ads on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
“I will stack up 10–12 weeks’ worth of work, and then shut the ads down for a while.”
He repeats the process whenever he gets caught up, keeping himself busy with new projects year round.
His pieces range in style, incorporating features of many schools including rustic farmhouse, American casual, and mission/arts & crafts. These are often characterized by strong lines and angles, simple and sturdy construction, with a variety of finishes.
“I do a lot of distressing and special finishes,” he notes. “A huge trend right now is modern farmhouse decorating, so 95 percent of what I do is rustic farmhouse. People want my furniture at a reasonable price, so the majority of what I build is made out of birch and pine. I offer specialty pieces made with any other kind of hard wood someone might request, and of course those are more expensive.”
Braxton’s woodworking shop is located in a large building in North Hixson. “Half of the building is my shop, and the other half is the Artisans’ Market. The market is open to the public, and my shop is where people who are placing custom orders or picking up furniture go. We’re also starting to offer workshops that are open to the public, where we have projects set up for people to learn how to assemble and distress furniture.”
Distressing is a blanket term for techniques that can be used to make furniture look old. By adding and/or removing layers of paint and stain, an artisan can create finishes that look aged and worn. This process has become popular in recent decades, as the availability of antique furniture has decreased.
The workshops are announced on their Facebook page a few weeks before they happen. “I don’t really need a website; we do everything through Facebook and that seems to work just fine.” Spaces at these events are reserved in advance, so that the staff can prepare the necessary materials for every participant.
On the other side of the shop, Braxton Mills Artisans’ Market has become something quite like a small country fair.
“Just about everything in our store has been handcrafted, or redone, or refinished—somebody has worked with their hands on almost everything in some kind of way.”
The market has a little bit of everything, from rustic hand-made signs and furniture to jewelry and body care products.
“We even have some sweets—fudge, chocolate covered cherries, pies, and cakes. It really is like a small country fair, and we are growing constantly.”
In addition to their regular business hours, Braxton Mill hosts a series of outdoor events with additional vendors and food trucks. The next of these is their Spring Craft Fair on April 27.