Allan Parachini is an evolving, largely self-taught furniture maker who lives in Pasadena, Calif. He has worked professionally in journalism and public relations for more than 45 years, but succumbed to woodworking addiction and a fascination with furniture making in the early 1980s and has never recovered. His work is primarily tables, cabinets, shelves, boxes and desks, with clean and simple lines and a commitment to letting the wood speak for itself.
His work resides primarily in his home and the homes of friends, although he has completed several dining room table, coffee table and desk commissions. He believes that knots and other character features sometimes erroneously called flaws can and should be a powerful component of a finished piece—to be celebrated, not hidden, and emphasized, not marginalized.
Originally from Philadelphia, Pa., he graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University and has taught journalism and public relations at universities in Chicago and Los Angeles. He worked as a reporter for 26 years, including 13 years at the Los Angeles Times. He has been in public relations since 1991. But he’s leaving that work history behind and intends to continue his career in his shop, determined to master chairs and steam bending.
