Most people don’t spend their days thinking about custom furniture. So, when this homeowner wanted to create an inviting dining room where they could gather with friends and family, they knew they needed something special.

They turned to their interior designer, who envisioned a statement piece that would bring warmth and character to the space. Together, they came up with the idea for a live-edge Western Walnut dining table that could seat twelve guests.

And, when the designer relayed the dream, we knew exactly who to contact for this special project — one of our local Western Walnut suppliers, Dave, who has been in the lumber industry since the 1970’s and has been providing the Joinery with “lumber with a story” for decades.

Dave had slabs from a beautiful walnut tree, that was felled in Spring of 2009, that were perfect for the project. In fact, we used slabs from this tree in projects over a decade ago, and fortunately there were a few left.

When the boards arrived in our woodshop the client approved the layout and the new custom drawing, and our team then went to work.

Our craftsman, Jon, transformed these book-matched slabs into what you see. A custom Live-Edge Western Walnut top with a modified Whitman-style base, adorned with twelve Eastern Walnut Klamath Stacking Chairs, by one of our talented chair-makers, Brian.

Once delivered we were so excited to see the pictures of the pieces placed in their new home. We appreciate being able to bring this vision to life for the interior designer and their client.

This custom book matched Western Walnut table can seat twelve of our customer’s closest friends and family, and it does so comfortably. The client’s biggest concerns were legroom and being able to fully push in all 12 chairs. We started out with our standard Whitman style base and redesigned it to fit our customer’s needs and knees.

The finished product is a stunning dining set that perfectly reflects our customers' dream: a comfortable and inviting space where they can host their loved ones for years to come.

If you're looking for a custom piece of furniture that tells a story, we'd love to help you tell yours—call, email, or come in today.

We are very excited to feature products from Tropical Salvage in our showrooms starting this month. Tropical Salvage is a fantastic company that shares The Joinery’s values of using business to address the global environmental crisis.

Tropical Salvage was founded 27 years ago to address the global environmental problems caused by the logging – both legal and illegal – of tropical rainforests in Indonesia. Tropical Salvage does not use lumber from any trees that have been cut down. Rather, the company salvages all of its material from trees that have already fallen from a variety of factors, including volcanic eruptions and landslides. Tropical Salvage maintains chain of custody throughout the salvage process, with their employees conducting the salvage operations. The company provides competitive wages and benefits for its employees, and leads reforestation projects in Indonesia to restore tropical forests.

Join us for an Artist Reception Friday, June 9th , 5-8PM at our Downtown Portland Showroom, featuring light appetizers and beverages.

RSVP here.

About the artist

Standing wool wall hangings are freeform fiber sculptures. These pieces are created by stitching together coils of felt. Each piece has a hanging loop on the back for easy installation.

Amy Reader is a fiber and installation artist currently living and working in Portland, OR. She graduated with honors from the University of Richmond in May of 2015 where she studied studio art and education. In her senior year, she created a collaborative crochet installation called the #100womenproject which is her largest installation to date. That year she also received the Capital One Merit Award for Excellence in Studio Art.

The Joinery is excited once again to be partnering again with students enrolled in the Architecture and Design program at Sabin-Schellenberg, a professional technical high school serving the North Clackamas school district, to showcase and auction their innovative creations made from scrap lumber donated by The Joinery. Students will use industry leading 3D modeling software and digital manufacturing equipment to convert scrap wood into consumer products such as puzzles, lamps, and artwork.