The "Custom" in Custom Furniture

Carleton Woodworking designs and builds custom furniture to client specifications. (See descriptions and pictures below). Typically a client will start with a very general idea of what he or she wants, for example:

"I need a bed that harmonizes with my newly renovated apartment," or

"I want a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired desk for my new home library."

The design phase of the project usually involves three or four meetings. The first meeting is used to introduce ourselves, talk about client likes and dislikes, and see the space the furniture will occupy. I usually bring my sketch pad so I can make drawings as my clients and I talk.

After the first meeting I usually know enough about my client's tastes to begin making working drawings. I use a CAD program for my working drawings because it is fast, efficient, economical, and accurate. Client modifications are easily incorporated into the drawings. I can even print out a full-size set of plans that the client can tape in place to see what the completed project will look like. Even if a client presents me with working plans, I usually render them into CAD format.

At the second meeting I bring working drawings for a client critique. I usually bring wood samples with me so the client can see the color of the finished piece.

At the third meeting I present corrected drawings for final approval. I also present a proposal for the work, including a price estimate. A contract is written and signed by all parties specifying the scope of the work, expected delivery dates and payment arrangements. If further modifications are needed to the drawings, additional meetings are scheduled.

It is most important not to hurry the design process, which can take from a few weeks to a few months. The "custom" in custom woodworking means that the client must get a product he or she is happy with. The only shock when the finished piece comes through the door should be one of recognition.

Below are descriptions of some of the custom pieces I've made and links to pictures of them. This is not a "product line." As a custom woodworker I rarely make the same thing twice. Rather, I offer a service for discerning clients who can't find the furniture they're looking for ready-made.

Bubinga Coffee Table
Featured on the opening page. It is a great privilege to work with rare and beautiful timber. On a trip to my hardwood dealer I found a remarkable slab of bubinga in the dust under the stairs. The piece was thirty inches wide, thirty-eight inches long, and 13/4" thick, with live edges on both sides. Even under the dust I could see swirling grain in the heartwood, spalted sapwood, and curly figure running across the entire board. This one-of-a-kind coffee table is the result. ($25,000)

Library Desk
This white oak library desk was inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright desk at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The client had just created a home library and wanted a work place. ($22,500)

Display Cabinet
This display cabinet is made of imported solid French walnut. I built a pair of them for a client to house his collection of antique Chinese ceramic sculptures. Though the pieces are dramatic, they have so much glass that they seemed to disappear once the sculpture was placed inside. These pieces feature hand-cut dovetails, carved feet, full 18th-century restoration glass, antiqued solid brass hardware, and two secret compartments. ($60,000 pair)

Black Walnut Dining Room Chairs
These walnut dining room chairs were designed for an existing modern table. The client wanted a very comfortable modern classic. These chairs are available in other woods. ($2,600 each plus your fabric)

Bed Frame
A client in a large renovated loft space in New York's Soho district needed a bed large enough to not be overwhelmed by the loft's twelve-foot ceiling, but not too massive to overwhelm a relatively small bedroom. The bedroom was separated from the living space with a wall of opaque glass framed in copper. I designed and built this modernist-inspired mahogany bed frame with ebony pegs for highlights. The color of the mahogany perfectly matched the copper framing of the room divider. The grain patterns in the headboard were reminiscent of a Japanese landscape, harmonizing with the shoji-inspired opaque glass. ($18,500)

Bedside Tables
The client who commissioned the bed frame wanted side tables that would complement the bed but would not look like parts of a bedroom set. I designed and built two mirror-image mahogany cabinets. The three drawers are arranged in the same golden mean proportion found in the nautilus shell. I borrowed some detailing from the bed and used the same material so that the tables would not be out of place. I hand-carved the drawer pulls out of ebony. I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the bed and side tables together; they complement each other well. ($9,500 each)

Sculpture and objets d'art
Sculptor Loren Madsen has been working on a series called 'Historical Abstracts.' He's gathered data from various sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Gallup Organization, and others, and created sculpture by graphing his findings into three dimensions. I've turned two pieces for him. The most recent one, '1-3000 (years)' depicts world population from year 1AD projected to year 3000. The first one, 'Pipes', depicts US aggregate income from 1970 to 1995 for "middle class" vs "upper income" populations. Loren is represented in New York City by the David McKee Gallery.

Mother's Day Table
This cherry table was given by my client to her mother for Mother's Day. It has beautiful turned legs with a large drawer. Its top measures 20" by 18", making it large enough for everything!

Trestle Table
This cherry table is a reproduction of a Shaker dining table built at Hancock Village, Massachusetts, circa 1830. The legs and table edge are hand-formed with a spokeshave and rasp. It is lower than modern tables by 2-1/2". Nevertheless, it is the most comfortable table I've ever sat at. It is small enough for two but large enough for six adults. It also makes a wonderful desk. The Shakers knew more about ergonomics 150 years ago than we know today! It breaks down for easy storage. ($12,500)

Drop-leaf Table
This cherry table is a reproduction of a Shaker table, built circa 1825 and now at Hancock Village, Massachusetts. It was bought by an architect for a small New York apartment. She needed a table that could be folded open for company but was not too big when she was alone. With both leaves up, the table is big enough for four. There is a useful drawer at one end. ($9,900)