We’re been married 25 years, and in our present house for 20 years. Throughout that period we weren’t entirely pleased with our bedroom furniture. Occasionally we’d get up enough dissatisfaction to go to various furniture stores and search for replacements, but nothing we saw excited us either.
Recently we remodeled the house. Spurred by the remodel, we looked further into getting furniture that really pleased us, and we found Jonathan Nussbaum – a local furniture maker (nussbaumfurniture.com).
Jonathan apprenticed and worked at the local high-end custom shop, but has now struck off on his own. His particular interest is the use of local, sustainable materials in his craftsmanship.
Part of the issue, for us, was that we didn’t know exactly what we wanted (apart from identifying the desired pieces themselves - a bed and matching side-tables). Jonathan skillfully guided us through the process of discerning what would really suit us – offering suggestions from time to time, but mostly helping us discover our own wishes. Several iterations of alternate drawings were produced, until we finally converged on the form of the pieces. In choosing woods (we ended with eastern Oregon madrone – some pieces strongly patterned, some clear) he was similarly helpful – repeatedly providing different samples, and alerting us when a supplier received a new tree for milling. (Some of the local wood isn’t farmed but comes from happenstance – a tree is uprooted in a storm, is taken down due to interference with a power line, etc.)
Jonathan was prompt, professional, and attentive. He delivered our furniture on budget and ahead of schedule. The pieces are beautiful and finished with exquisite workmanship. They are exceptionally solid, but graceful; they’ll be heirlooms – for as long as we have heirs. We don’t have experience in assessing the price charged, but the amount seems fair in view of the service and furniture delivered. We’re pleased with the value.
We don’t have any immediate plans to commission more furniture, but having been through the process once, it is no longer intimidating. For our next furniture, we’ll give Jonathan another call.