Silver River Chairs

As a teenager, I discovered caned chairs – I began to appreciate their symmetry, precision and strength. The beauty of the pattern amazed me. While an intriguing thought, learning to cane was never much of a reality until recently. As lovers of crafts, my wife and I love showing off Asheville to visitors. On one visit we discovered an addition to the Curve Studios in the River Arts District – Silver River Center for Chair Caning. Finally someone to teach me and to unlock the mysteries of caning.

I have done furniture for many years and customers have asked me if I did chair caning. I thought it was time to find someone in NC. I searched the internet and found Brandy and Dave in Asheville. A 3 hour trip each way. It was well worth it. I have taken 4 or 5 classes from them. They are fantastic instructors, very knowledgeable and patient. I will be back for more.

I would recommend Silver River Center for Chair Caning to people who have a piece of furniture in need of any seat weaving, either to learn and take on their own project(s), or to have Brandy and David do the work. For me, it was better than using an online reference because of their personalized feedback. I found the experience rewarding because of their attention to detail. I am on my 4th project – what more can I say.

After 30 years of doing all our seat weaving in house, it has been a great pleasure to be able to put that task in the competent hands of David and Brandy at Silver River. Our chairs go to some of America’s top connoisseurs of seating, so we can’t farm anything out without great confidence in the hands we entrust our work to. Brandy and Dave have not only been very professional in handling our orders, they have done perfect work every time. Silver River has taken the worry out of our weaving.

Dave Klinger and Brandy Clements of Silver River Center of Chair Caning are two of the most passionate and energetic people I have ever met in any industry. They have the ability, patience and knowledge to assimilate with both the novice weaver or the highly experienced craftsman. Two of the most talented weavers, businessmen, organizers and genuine people in the Chair Seat Weaving Industry. It will be no surprise to me to watch the Silver River Center of Chair Caning succeed and flourish for many decades to come

I'm not sure if I can really convey how much this week at (John C Campbell) Folk School meant to me. Brandy - your permission to treat crafting as a way to heal from trauma allowed me to let go & fully soak in the Folk School experience. The welcoming vibe you helped to create, the chance to screw up & fix it again, the opportunity to become totally absorbed in learning something new - these were healing in unexpected ways. Dave - your patience as a teacher is magical. You know just when to guide & when to let us figure it out; when to step in & fix it vs. when to let us learn by doing it ourselves. The two of you are not just gifted artists but gifted teachers. You're a dynamic duo and I am so grateful for the chance to learn from the best. Thank you for an incredible week! gratefully, Your newest baby chair nerd