Using materials that otherwise might find their way to the landfill as construction debris – elevator cable, rebar, steel bars, and tubes – he works the various metals’ natural contours, twists and tendencies, creating subtly beautiful chairs, tables, firebowls, railings, architectural elements and more.

“I prefer to make things people will actually touch and use,” says Mr. Abrams. “Something that will become a part of their life – not stuck up on a wall or behind glass.”

This New York native’s circuitous college route led him from New York City to Washington and, ultimately, to the University of Wisconsin where he studied art and architecture. Mr. Abrams honed his talent by working with found objects in France, Wisconsin and California before making a stop at the Johnson Atelier in Hamilton and eventually settling in Princeton with his wife, Francine, an architect, and their three children.

Inspired by “nature and her works of time,” his work has been shown in New York, New Jersey, California, Wisconsin, Oregon, France and the Netherlands, and expresses a combination of his three loves – sculpture, architecture and engineering.

“Developing each piece is a puzzle,” Mr. Abrams says. “I love the challenge of trying to figure out how everything will fit together, unlocking a material’s secret strengths.”

Not content to simply “crank out pretty things,” Mr. Abrams’ ultimate goals are to involve himself in more community-based, social endeavors. He already offers apprenticeships to local college and high school students and is experimenting with different “green,” or environmentally conscious, construction techniques, as well as a modular shelter system.

“Art’s not just about a piece; it’s about life – about exploration and experimentation,” he adds. “I’m lucky that I can do what I love.”

To learn more about Peter Abrams and his work, visit modernmetalwork.com