Flat file drawer

This is a flat file drawer that has 7 drawers and will have a maple top and drawer faces will be maple along with the back, and it will be on casters. Will post pictures next week.

Reception desk

Here's a snap of a reception desk that's close to done. The long leg of it is about 10 feet long. It will have a hickory top and cladding along with drawers . Will post more pictures when finished.

Office desk

Here's an office desk I built for a gentleman from Boulder Colorado. I built some desks and other pieces for his office last year and this was just a small work desk for him to use at his home. I used a 1 1/4 inch thick birch top with cladding on ends. Like all my L shaped desks it detaches at the return so its easily assembled after shipping.

Valet stand

Heres a couple snapshots of a valet stand I built for The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe in.California. I used a Birch wood that I put a solution on that gives it a slight grey look. I mix up the solution and never exactly know how much it will change it, but it gave this a nice soft grey to go with the natural wood color. It has hooks for 100 keys to hang along with locking door and drawer.

Shipping by freight

I have a lot of people ask about shipping. I ship worldwide but its not as simple as a small end table every time. I routinely ship very large items up to 10.feet once in the crate and can weigh up to 1000 lbs or more for some. As you can imagine its quite a process. First I build a very heavy duty crate around each item.which can.cost $100 or more just for the materials alone. Then a few hours to build it and wrap and secure the piece inside. Then loading is not always so simple. A lot of my pieces are very.big and can not fit.sideways into the freight truck door so it.has to go longways. This is quite a challenge when you have no loading dock. Some people are shocked by freight costs but if you look at all that goes on with it, it makes sense and is quite reasonable. Were not shipping pillows and something I've spent months building and a client has waited for needs to.get there safe.

terrible imported junk furniture

Just a quick post.  For the first time in my life, I happened to be near a Restoration Hardware store, and went in.  I post this because I get emails from people with pictures attached saying, "can you build this but in my size?"  my answers vary and are hard to give, but basically come down to these basic things...

1.  I will not copy someone elses work. There is not a challenge in doing this, and I have had it done to me so many times, and a couple people are literally building a business off my designs, so I would not do the same.  I want to build unique, handcrafted, durable, high quality items with no corners cut.

2. This will echo number 2 a bit, but I will not build junk like the store mentioned or others that easily come to mind.  Or for that matter some of the people copying me.  I spend a lot of time on the details, and others do not.  Not to mention I use the highest quality wood, rivets, and bolts, and finishes available.  It all cost me more time and money, but I truly want it to last.  Back to Restoration hardware.  They sell cheap soft woods like pine that are unfinished and will never hold up to any kind of use, along with a strange coating and very cheap imported scrap metal for materials.  It all adds up to a very flimsy, and disappointing product.  What I do and these other stores are not even comparable.  I spend hours picking out materials and pouring over decisions, and my patina process along with clear coat can take 3-4 days and is genuine. Not some sprayed on paint coating.  I know my wife went to touch the fake door lock on one of the pieces at Restoration Hardware and it was not a door lock at all but how you opened the door.  We could hardly control our laughter.  There is a reason they have very dim lighting in the store. Think about it.

My purpose here is not necessarily to put these other stores down, but it all goes back to why I started my business.  I was tired of buying junk, and learned from the saying "you get what you pay for" .  I cant think of many times if any where I spent less money and was actually happy in the end.  There was always that regret that was hard to admit out  in the open.  All to save a few hundred dollars, but in the end I never saved anything, because I ended up selling the piece of junk I bought a starting the search again.  What I do is so far different than any of these big chain stores.  If you really dont think there is a difference and just want the cheapest product there is, then they may be a fit for you and I urge you to buy from them.  You will have to learn the lesson on your own.

Kitchen.cabinet

This is a kitchen cabinet I just completed. I built it so it will fit right into a nook in the wall the homeowners have built during construction of the house. Its 9 feet long and 2.5 feet deep and 36 inches high. Every door has a keyed lock and a door catch. Along with the handles I've been making to put on most things lately. It has reclaimed elm wood on top and I spent a lot if time on little details so it turned out extra clean in.the end.