The impassioned artisan not only sees the value in well-made, long-lasting design; he's devoted his life to it by creating intricate, one-of-a-kind pieces and in his side hustle teaching the craft.
Court has had a passion for furniture since he decided to study at the oldest trade school in the country, the North Bennet Street School in Boston. Born in New Hampshire to a working-class family, he was unclear about his future career path, but he was already dabbling in woodworking when he discovered the institution in 2012.
"I didn't know how serious it was at that time, but I knew I needed some training," he says. "I was barely 18, so trying to figure myself out. Now, I realize I was in love with the process. I reached out to them and saw they had a furniture and cabinetmaking course that was two years long, and I ended up going there and meeting with the admissions — they accepted me on the spot."
Founded in the late 1870s, the school offered a program that was demanding, serious and steeped in history. Once Court graduated, he worked in a shop in nearby Charlestown that felt more like a residency. Here, he could learn from more established craftsmen. He kept following "rabbit holes" as he developed his skill set working for private clients and exhibiting with groups such as the New Hampshire Furniture Makers. By the time the pandemic rolled around, the designer was ready for a change and decided to relocate to Dallas with his partner, the multi-disciplinary artist Daniela Andriana De Rodrigues Flint, the day after Thanksgiving in 2020.
Moving into an East Dallas apartment the couple rented sight unseen, they soon found the city agreed with them. Court ultimately worked out of a space in the Cedars before opening his new shop at 3629 Colonial Ave. in a former A&P grocery.
"I seek out vintage tools and vintage machines, and everything in the shop is about the same period," Court says of the space, which has retained its exposed brick walls and tin ceiling.
There, he painstakingly designs and assembles furniture that ranges from simple modernist styles with Deco-inspired lines to a full-on Baroque French reproduction cabinet with marquetry inlay and ornate gilding.
What Wood Evan Do?
The 32-year-old's sweet spot, however, is American Federalist design. The style's simple symmetry, delicate carvings and inlaid decorations have an aspirational quality he loves to draw from repeatedly."If I look at my own work, the proportions and how I think of legs on furniture — how they taper and interact with the rest of the work — that's very much so rooted in American federal furniture," the designer says. "I've been working on a lot of research projects and seeing how I react to other periods, but definitely when I make furniture, American Federal is what comes out."
Court gravitates to lighter woods in his designs, such as ash. The drafting stage is just as exciting to him, and he'll initially draw a piece at a one-to-one scale. Most of his designs to date have been commissions, creating items to copy a piece clients already own or designing a style that won't jar with the style of their home. He was lucky enough upon landing in Dallas to snap a dream commission from a Preston Hollow client, who gave him carte blanche to do what he does best.
Court's prices seem surprisingly low considering a single design, such as his carved mahogany cabinet, could take nearly 10 months to construct. That intricate piece may have sold for $75,000, but his sleek, round-back chairs (a month and a half each) were just $3,100. Factor in that a client is purchasing a one-of-a-kind design made to be handed down, and it seems like a bargain.
For Court, his projects are "becoming less and less about the specific piece for the specific person. The budget has to be the right budget, and the taste has to align. I think it's difficult because I'm always trying to merge period work and modern work because I care about both of them. Nobody wants old brown furniture, and I get bored making it, so how do I merge my interest in early furniture history and the pursuit of quality with your personal taste and aesthetic? It's a personal quest."
Until he completes that quest, Court is happy to share his hard-won skill set along the way. He also teaches private classes at $50 an hour or $400 for the day, teaching amateur woodworkers technical drawings, scale models and construction by appointment. What he hopes to impart, more than anything, is respect for a long-standing traditional trade that is in danger of disappearing. He hopes that other members of his generation will learn the value of something handcrafted, substantial and homemade.
"I surround myself [with my work] in my own home," says Court. "Other people in my age group wouldn't have [this type of furniture] in their home, but it's more enriching for my life to be surrounded by those things. I don't want to be surrounded by things that are temporary and disposable, even though they're more accessible and affordable. I only get to do this life one time, so why don't I surround myself with things that make my day as inspiring as it can be?"
Evan L. Court Cabinet Maker is located at 3629 Colonial Ave. Open by appointment.
