For most of us, a house is a place to live. A staircase is something to help us move between floors, and a door is simply a space we pass through.
But for carpenter Mark Ellison, a house, a staircase, a doorway are opportunities for beauty.
Ellison has been called many things, including the best carpenter in New York City and the man who builds impossible things.
His specialty is lavish and challenging projects for the wealthy. His clients have included the late David Bowie and the late Robin Williams.
But in his new book, “Building: A Carpenter’s Notes on Life and the Art of Good Work,” Ellison is less interested in these extravagant projects and more interested in what they’ve taught him: how to build a life worth living.
We speak about that life and what he’s learned in it.
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