Frequently Asked Questions

Materials and joinery. Most furniture today is made in Asia and it has to be shipped, so it is designed to pack flat as compact as possible. It has to be put together at the final destination, so most furniture uses bolts and screws to assemble panels, attach legs, etc. It can look very good, but as you sit on your new chairs or use your new table, screws dig into the softer wood, and eventually things loosen and need to be tightened. This happens over and over, until the screws can’t be tightened anymore.

Big-box furniture also needs to be as inexpensive as possible, so is is often made from engineered materials designed to imitate solid wood on the thin surface, while underneath it might be MDF or plywood. These materials are great to work with at industrial scale, but most furniture will not look great after a few years or survive a house move.

Fine furniture is made from solid wood, which is more expensive and difficult to work at big scale than engineered materials. The main reason is that solid wood expands and contracts as the humidity and temperature changes in your home through the year. Traditionally joinery is much stronger than bolted joints, and it is also designed to let the wood expand and contract. This is why poorly-designed, solid-wood furniture can develop cracks after a season or two. Fine furniture is built from the best materials, by a woodworker with mastery of the correct joinery for each situation. Properly designed furniture will last generations.

Over the years it has been suggested to me to develop a catalogue. Many builders of “custom” furniture do this, and the meaning of “custom” is that you can purchase a chair or bed from their catalogue in either walnut or cherry wood. This makes business sense as designing each piece from scratch is very time consuming and inefficient.

I love design though. Each piece I build draws from my experience and knowledge, but it is truly unique, made for your specific space and style. Every wood combination is available, every style is possible, and your piece might even have an engraving, inlay, burning, or sculpting in a topic that speaks to you.

All of that being said, from time to time I will build a piece that interests me, or will build several small pieces when I’m exploring a new style or technique. I will post these in the Inventory section of this website when available.

Yes! I specialize in custom pieces, but we always start somewhere. In our first design session I what you have in mind. Many clients have seen something online they liked, or have a style in mind. As we discuss I will also show you images with examples of styles, details, wood types, etc., and we will sketch things together. When we are done, every piece is unique to your style and needs.

Yes!

Custom furniture takes time! I strive to deliver your piece fast, but I prioritize quality and beauty over speed. As a very general rule, an average piece takes 4-6 weeks. Please keep in mind that an engraving, inlay work, sculpting or complex joinery can add time quickly. I will provide you an estimate at the end of our design meetings. My goal is always that the work is worth the wait!

I am a small shop and you will be talking with me, Erika, through the whole process. Send me an email or text, or fill out the form in the “Get In Touch” section. We will have an informal consultation to see if I am a good fit for your project. If we look like a potential good match, we will schedule time to learn more about your piece. I will ask you questions about the space where your piece will go, show you ideas, look at any inspiration you might want to show me, etc.

After this, I will prepare a proposal. This document is not the final design, but it is meant to capture the design intent. It will have screenshots of inspiration we found online, hand sketches with dimensions, etc. I will also prepare a quote which will include price and other terms such as delivery and/or shipping. I usually ask for half of the total price of the piece as deposit, which I use to buy materials. I also give you an approximate start date and build duration.

Next is detailed design. I will get in touch with more detailed sketches before I start the build. We also stay in touch through the build as necessary to discuss details, touches, etc. The rest of the payment is due upon delivery.

Yes! Small items like lamps and boxes are easy to ship. So are mirrors since they are flat as long as they are not too large.

Most of my furniture is not designed for shipping though. Read the question below on traditional joinery for a quick explanation. For this reason, my preference is to deliver the piece to your home, or have it picked up at my shop. If you are too far for that to be practical, I can crate your piece and use a white-glove service to have it safely delivered to you.

Your piece of furniture is built with the best materials and finishes and it will be very durable and easy to care for. We will discuss specific instructions for care upon delivery. In general, fine furniture is easier to care for than modern furniture from big-box stores. Big-box furniture is usually laminated to make inexpensive materials look richer on the outside. They dent easily because they are soft, and damage to the top layer can expose the inexpensive materials underneath. Your custom furniture is the real deal. It is harder so it won’t dent as easily as big-box furniture, and it is solid wood throughout so smaller blemishes won’t show as much or look as bad. With proper care, your customer piece will last generations.

Probably not! I have built jewelry boxes and small mirrors. These smaller projects are fun, quick, and often very affordable.

It depends. I am a small shop, setup to handle 2 to 3 builds at the time depending on size and complexity. Do you need tables and chairs for a small-town library? No problem. Do you need chairs for a concert hall? Probably too big if you need them fast.

I generally do not do restoration work.

I don’t do cabinet work.