Wry Design in Belfast
Timothy Wry has always been drawn to making things by hand. “My dad had a woodshop in the basement,” he says. “It wasn’t anything professional, but I think just being around it planted a seed.” Years later, while finishing a degree in computer engineering, he walked away from his senior year and enrolled at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport. “When I’m working with wood, time melts away,” he says. “I can build all day and look back at what I’ve made and feel proud. It’s what I needed at the time, and it’s still what I need.”
After honing his craft in high-end cabinet shops and shipyards, where he learned the art of boatbuilding, Wry eventually built a workshop behind his home in Belfast. “It was done on a strict budget, so it took time,” he says, “but the momentum built until it became unstoppable. Now, it feels like a train.”
His work straddles the line between architecture and sculpture. “Some projects require the line to be drawn in a different place,” he explains. “Design time is the most important ingredient in design. I try to sit with a project long enough that the best answer has time to reveal itself.”
From intricate built-ins and libraries to artistic nesting tables that resemble living roots, Wry’s pieces balance creativity with precision. He describes his ideal client as someone who values process and trusts the evolution of a piece over time. “When you’re that deep into a project, it’s like finding your way through a maze,” he says. “Once you eliminate what doesn’t matter, the right design path becomes clear.”
For Wry, woodworking is inseparable from life itself. “I don’t have a work life and a personal life,” he says. “It’s all one thing. I live a life that happens to make a little money and pay taxes, but it’s all just life.”
FAMOUS FOR:
Building custom furniture and cabinetry that blend craftsmanship with creativity. His work often combines clean lines with organic shapes, resulting in pieces that feel both functional and artistic.
ADDRESS:
Based out of Belfast, Maine
WEBSITE:
wrydesign.com
photos by Peter Logue
