Nancy Brannaman from Arlington, Virginia, is the proud winner of the Chippendale mirror raffled off in August by Fine Woodworking. Nancy and her husband, John, entered the raffle when they stopped by our booth at the 2006 International Woodworking Fair in August.

Nancy and John are longtime subscribers to Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding magazines. John is the woodworker of the pair, while Nancy identifies herself as the designated “finisher.”  In addition to building furniture, John has collaborated with his wife on three home remodels during their marriage, designing and installing elegant trim work throughout each home.

That experience has lead them to their next endeavor. After retiring from careers as U.S. foreign service officers with the Department of State and the Agency for International Development, the Brannamans plan to return to their home state of Iowa to start a new woodworking business.

“John is researching equipment for his custom wood trim business when we retire from federal service in a few years,” Nancy said in an email. “This was the first year we have been back in the U.S. while the International Woodworker’s Fair was held, and John jumped at the chance to attend.”

The mirror they won is a reproduction Chippendale design produced by Steve Latta, a woodworker and teacher in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who built the piece for an article featured in Fine Woodworking #185. It is constructed of solid mahogany, poplar, and makore veneer.