Tom McCormick is sitting comfortably in one of his hand-made Windsor chairs as he begins to tell me why they are so special. With their elegant yet simple design, "You can put them anywhere and they will fit with almost any decor." he says.

His fascination with Windsor chairs started after a visit to the chair maker’s museum at Elfreth's Alley in Philadelphia. This interest led him to enroll in The Windsor Institute, where he studied under renowned craftsman Mike Dunbar. After his training was completed, he knew that this would be more than a hobby.

Ten years later, this Wall Street veteran has turned his hobby into a successful business. Working in his workshop in Quogue, McCormick strives to come as close as possible, in style and construction methods, to American chair makers in the last half of the 18th century. He has narrowed his focus to four types of Windsor: the Sack Back, Continuous Arm, Bow Back Side chair and Comb-Back Arm chair.

The chairs originated in Windsor, England in the late 17th century and, along with the English settlers, migrated to America. They remain popular to this day due to their sturdy construction, graceful form, comfort and versatility.

After precise angle measurements and geometric calculations, the legs are wedged at an angle underneath the seat, so once you sit down the weight is spread across the chair, which increases the sturdiness. Three types of wood are used to make a Windsor chair. The back is made of red oak, the legs of maple, and the seat of pine, which is softer.

Each chair is finished in three coats of milk paint. The first coat is green, followed by red, and the final coat is black, then the chair is coated with linseed oil. As the chair ages and the paint starts to fade, worn areas begin to reveal different hues of paint colors underneath. Any combination of the 16 milk paint colors can be specified, "But that is when it gets complicated," McCormick says. For many couples, agreeing on a color is tough. “That's when I leave the room," he adds.

For more on information about Tom McCormick, go to www.tjmccormick.com

Lara Magzan is a Hamptons Blogger & Photgrapher. You can see more of her work online at www.compassphotos.com.