Darin Caldwell

Darin Caldwell is a woodworker’s woodworker. A man of few words, his handcrafted furniture speaks for him.

“I remember as a kid destroying instead of creating,” Darin says of his early days in woodworking. “When I was in high school, I enrolled in a wood shop class. My first project was a cherry clock, and I remember my grandmother being so impressed and showing it off to everybody.” His mother still has that clock today.

After college, Darin took an engineering job in a woodworking factory, where he learned about furniture construction.

“Once I had a house of my own, I built pieces for myself because I could,” he says. “I didn’t see any reason to buy something I could build, and I haven’t stopped yet.”

Darin says he learned how to manufacture wood products from some of the most experienced woodworkers in Tell City, a Southern Indiana town with a rich history in woodworking. Once he left the factory, he started making functional art instead of just plain furniture.”

“Anything can be made from wood,” he says. “It’s a very versatile medium. I find the most unique pieces and use them, so they stand out and catch your eye. Wood is beautiful and every piece is unique. My focus is turning it into functional art, and it’s inspiring to see people’s reaction to my work.”

With every piece of handcrafted furniture, Darin strives to create something unique.

“I use materials in my pieces that surprise people. I employ unorthodox techniques, such as stringing blocks of wood on a rope to create a chair that conforms to you as you sit in it. I strive to be different,” he says.

Darin believes woodworking is an underappreciated art form, and he hopes to promote better awareness through Indiana Artisan.