Ira Kohn's experience with hand crafted furniture spans almost forty years. He was first introduced to the craft by his father and his first jobs included carpentry and cabinetwork. His passion for traditional woodworking began in 1985 when he attended a workshop on greenwood chair making given by Madison County chair maker, Drew Langsner. "I want to create something to pass on, not make it slick just to meet what society expects. The chairs that I make are my way of paying homage to the generations of mountain chair makers that have preceded me."

Although chairs are a staple of Ira's woodworking business, he also builds original and Shaker-inspired cabinets, tables, beds and other furniture. Ira uses only solid woods in his custom furniture, especially recycled chestnut and poplar, along with traditional dovetail and mortise and tenon joinery.

Ira has degrees in fine art and folklore from State University of New York at Albany and Western Kentucky University, respectively. He has worked as exhibits curator for the Kentucky Museum and as an artisan for the Museum of Florida History. His work has been exhibited in galleries in North Carolina, Florida and Georgia. When he is not working with wood he enjoys playing old-time banjo and fiddle, tending his organic garden and acing crossword puzzles.