John's early furniture designs were influenced by the arts and crafts movement in America, the Bauhaus movement in Europe, and various modern architects. Namely, he looked to designers like Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Eames, Gustav Stickley, Greene & Greene, and Le Corbusier. During the first five years, everything that he designed and produced was custom. Regardless of the client or project, what he learned was that all designs begin with an idea. Once you understand the vocabulary for expressing the idea, designing an entire range of furniture becomes a lot like writing a story with different elements and personalities. Individually, each furnishing is just one chapter. Collectively, all of the pieces combine to create a story composed of many characters that depict the idea of the entire range. Over time, the range of furniture may evolve and the characters may change; but each chapter will convey the same meaning and it's place in time will remain unchanged.