About

In a world of smart phones and smart cars, hand-made wood furniture and cabinetry are decidedly low tech.  “High-tech” has defined twenty-first century life, and our thirst for the new is outpaced only by our dispensing with the old.  By contrast, there seems a solid place in this increasingly high-tech world for lasting objects, hand made from organic materials.  My customers want authentic, quality craftsmanship in furniture that will last generations, and in cabinetry that will last the life of their home.  

My cabinetry and furniture are made in a small, converted-barn workshop, not a large production shop or factory.  My customers receive singular attention as we work together toward an individualized design.  And the client is always in mind as the piece grows from rough wood, to final form, to installation in a home.  

The final look of a piece of furniture derives from infinite possibilities.  That fact can be daunting.  But I welcome the variety of furniture making and enjoy the process of helping customers sift through that variety to create the design which fits their needs.  I’m equally happy to build for my customers a traditional Shaker cabinet, a Japanese-inspired table, or a unique contemporary chair.  Whether inspired by long-established style or wholly original, my furniture and cabinetry designs are rooted in the natural qualities of the wood:  grain, color, and texture.  Building furniture is an elegant blending of the wood’s organic traits with the functional shape of a chair, cabinet, or table.  

Furniture is meant to be used and it should therefore be solid yet comfortable—and comforting.  A cabinet, though essentially practical, doesn’t have to be common.  Like sculpture, fine furniture and cabinetry crave visual appeal and creative expression.  For me, successfully building a piece of furniture means discovering just the right combination of materials, purpose, and imagination, resulting in an object both useful and beautiful.

Curt Schmitt
New Harmony, Indiana