While looking through the materials I gathered at the 2006 CA Boom design expo in Santa Monica, Calif., (I am something of a pack rat) I came across a pile of business cards from artisan furniture makers. I’ve checked out a few of their websites, and it looks like the ones I met at CA Boom are still going strong. Some highlights:
J. Rusten Furniture, based in San Francisco. Solid-wood furniture, both custom and made-to-order. Their California Series features desks and tables with State of California-shaped tops. I also particularly like the little Lightbox bedside light made from Port Orford Cedar.
Plywood Office designs both furniture and architecture in their Chicago studio. Their Stripes Coffee Table (shown here) provides good-looking storage and surface space, and their Bird’s House would make a nice gift for a design-oriented or bird-nerd friend.
And L.A.’s 100xbetter caught my eye with its Quentin Screen (as a small-space dweller, I can tell you that well-designed screens are hard to find). –M.D.
