Baker's Susan Ferrier Collection: Furniture Inspired by Volcanic Landscape

Baker's Susan Ferrier Collection for Baker Furniture takes volcanic forces as its source: tectonic shifts, flowing magma, and eruptions translated into cast bronze, quartered oak, leathered stone, polished marble, shagreen, and onyx. Available through Sutter & Vale within the broader Baker Furniture range, the collection reads as elemental rather than decorative.

What inspired the Susan Ferrier Collection, and what is it?

The collection draws directly from geological violence. Baker's own statement describes it as harnessing "tectonic shifts, flowing magma, and volcanic eruptions" to inspire furniture for the living room, dining room, and bedroom. Every piece in the collection is named for a volcano, a fire deity, or a civilization lost to an eruption, and Baker publishes a pronunciation guide for each name, an indicator of how far the source material extends into the design language.

What materials and finishes define the collection?

Six materials carry the geological reference throughout: cast bronze, quartered oak veneer, leathered stone, polished marble, shagreen, and onyx. The finish names do the rest. Baker's finish vocabulary for this collection runs to Smolder, Magma, Hraun, and Haze, each chosen to evoke land forming under heat and pressure.

The Surtsey Dresser makes the reference explicit. Its quartered oak veneer is available in all four of those finishes, and the piece is named for a volcano.

Key materials at a glance:

• Cast bronze: structural and surface applications; reads as something retrieved from the earth rather than manufactured
• Quartered oak veneer: tight, consistent grain that catches light differently at different hours of the day
• Leathered stone: a matte, textured finish that references cooled volcanic rock surfaces
• Polished marble and onyx: introduce translucency and depth alongside the heavier materials
• Shagreen: fine surface texture that does not compete with the stone and bronze

How does Baker's craftsmanship translate those references into furniture?

Baker produces its case goods at its Hildebran, North Carolina plant, alongside international manufacturing. The quartered oak veneer used across the collection is not a cost concession. Baker's own position is that veneer is how highly figured and volatile woods are used in durable furniture at all. Quarter-sawing the oak produces a tighter, more consistent grain pattern that rewards close-range attention, the kind this collection invites.

The bronze detailing is cast, not applied as a coating. Cast bronze develops its own surface character over time, which aligns with the collection's source material: geological surfaces record their own history, and the furniture is intended to do the same.

How does the Susan Ferrier Collection fit into a bedroom or living space?

Baker rooms are built around a focal point. This collection is no different, and its material weight works best in principal bedrooms, formal living rooms, and dining rooms where the proportions can hold it.

For the bedroom, the Surtsey Dresser anchors the storage wall. Its quartered oak and Natural Bronze detailing carry the volcanic palette without overwhelming a space, provided the surrounding furniture gives it room to read.

Sizing guidelines worth keeping in mind:

The collection spans all three primary rooms, so it supports a whole-home approach rather than a single statement piece.

How does the Susan Ferrier Collection relate to Baker's broader history?

The Ferrier work sits within Baker's long record of commissioning collections from named designers. Barbara Barry's collection launched in 1996 and remains in production. Finn Juhl partnered with Baker in 1951 on the first Danish Modern collection for the American market. The Ferrier collection follows that same pattern: a designer with a defined point of view, a material palette specific to that vision, and a naming system that carries the concept through every piece.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "leathered stone" mean in the Susan Ferrier Collection?

Leathered stone is a finish applied to natural stone that produces a matte, textured surface, similar in feel to fine leather. The process softens the stone's reflectivity and gives edges and tabletop surfaces a tactile quality that polished finishes do not have. In the Ferrier collection, it references the rough, cooled surface of volcanic rock.

Is quartered oak veneer as durable as solid wood?

Quartered oak veneer in fine furniture is dimensionally more stable than solid wood because it is applied to an engineered substrate that resists expansion and contraction with humidity changes. Baker uses it because the quarter-sawn grain pattern is only achievable at this quality level through veneering. With standard furniture care, a well-constructed veneered piece performs comparably to solid wood over decades.

Does the Susan Ferrier Collection work with non-volcanic color palettes?

Yes. The finish names are evocative, but the underlying tones, warm oak, bronze, stone grey, and deep charcoal, are neutral enough to work alongside a wide range of interiors. Rooms with warm whites, aged linens, terracotta, or deep greens hold the collection particularly well, but the materials are grounded enough that they do not require a thematic room to anchor them.

The Sutter & Vale Team