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The tradition began with Art Carpenter. In 1966 Art was commissioned by the Mill Valley Library to design 100 beautiful wooden furniture pieces in 12 months. Art, a self-taught woodworker, said in a 2001 interview for the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art, “the one [commissioned work] that I’ve enjoyed the most and reflect on as one of the best that I’ve done is the Mill Valley Library”. Art Carpenter died on May 25, 2006, but the Carpenter legacy is carried on by his son, Art Carpenter III, Tripp for short.
A native of Mill Valley, Tripp runs Espenet III Furniture, and has been working with wood “off and on all of my life, but professionally only for the last 5 years.” Tripp’s furniture speaks for itself, though perhaps one of the greatest compliments came from his own father. Art said of his son, “the independent spirit will never die in that boy.” Using his father’s designs and the same black walnut wood, Tripp has stayed true to the clean, organic style of his father’s work while also incorporating his own personal vision. Similar in look and feel to his father’s pieces, Tripp’s furniture accentuates the natural beauty surrounding the library. He spends time outdoors hiking, backpacking, and surfing, and that connection to nature shows in his work.
Tripp has  created a set of four new pieces for the library’s fiction room made from Claro Walnut, a species native to California. Two chairs based on his father’s design and modified by Tripp perch on either side of a peanut-shaped table, originally cut by Art in 1971. Accompanying them is a loveseat which is purely Tripp’s creation. The loveseat features delicate butterfly inlays, which are also repeated on one corner of the table. Tripp notes, “My father used a lot of butterflies and I’ve always liked them. Butterflies, insects, lizards…they’re fun to inlay.”
The new seating was upholstered by Cover Girls in Pt. Reyes Station. Not only have Cover Girls done work for the Swedish Consulate in San Francisco, but they also have a long-standing connection to the library: they have upholstered all of Art’s library pieces after 1987. Mara Nelson of Cover Girls notes, “Art contacted us [for the Library commission]. Once he found us, he never  went anywhere else.” When it was time to upholster Tripp’s work, Cover Girls was once again the natural choice. The tall, angular back of the loveseat is complemented by moss-green microsuede pillows. The material used on the loveseat is an eco-friendly fabric made of 100% recycled polyester. Mara points out, “it is very unusual in this industry to get eco-friendly upholstery.” Eco-friendly fabrics, including untreated latex, organic cotton, and the recycled polyester that the library selected, have only come along in the last 2 years or so. The library kept the desire to be earth-friendly in mind as they chose the fabrics. As for working on the project, Mara notes, “it was wonderful. The Library was so into the furniture and what Tripp was building. That enthusiasm just carried over into the rest of the job”.
Tripp’s original take on his father’s classic designs dovetails nicely with the spirit of drawing innovation from tradition at the Mill Valley Library. As the library incorporates the gorgeous new furniture, we are also excited to introduce new, upcoming library services which may include: personalized book recommendation lists tailored to the individual reader’s tastes, book kits for book club members which will include a decorative bag containing up to ten copies of a selected book along with suggested background materials and food and wine pairings, a “recommended by you” section where patrons can create their own book lists for display in the library, and a reading blog complete with staff book reviews, lists, literary news and guest reviewers. Be on the look out for all the exciting changes taking place in the Fiction Room!
To visit Tripp at his studio, take Highway 1 to Bolinas, turn at the 2nd driveway on the right and you will find his shop at 1100 Olema-Bolinas Road or call 415-868-1542. Contact Mara from Cover Girls at 415-663-9363 for directions and appointments.
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