Most people who are looking for custom furniture are looking for something that cannot be found in retail furniture sources. Sometimes people are looking for furniture of a certain size or a special kind of wood, sometimes it is attributes of quality, sometimes it is function. For the customer, it always starts with an idea.

 Our job at Harris Woodworks is to take the idea and make it a reality.

 The cherry sideboard on the right was designed to match a desk and credenza in a business office. Its function is to store a coffee maker and related items, and to provide a formal but welcoming place to serve refreshments at business meetings.

Ideas and functions vary, but one thing does not change. We are committed to quality.

Talk to us about ideas.
Talk to us about designs.
Talk to us about construction methods and woods.
Talk to us about cost.

Ideas

 If you think you are in the market for a piece of custom furniture, the first thing you need to do is to consider the function and size of the piece you are looking for. Think about features that you particularly want, such as dovetailed drawers, a certain kind of molding, the wood type, or a place for special lighting. If you want it to match a piece you already have, take a good photo of that piece. If you find a photo that helps to convey your idea, even if you say, "like this only different," add that to your portfolio. Now you are ready to talk.

Designs

 We like to discuss with you the kind of furniture you already have, so we can make your new piece fit into your home or office comfortably. Because we have experience in design and function, we can tell you some things about design that will help you reach your goal. The visual part of design is just as important as the functional part. If you know that you definitely like or dislike certain styles, it is important to state that. We can then come to a definite understanding of the style as well as the function that you have in mind.

Construction methods and woods

 We use mostly hardwoods native to our area, such as cherry, maple, oak, and walnut. Wood choice is of course the customer’s choice, but sometimes wood choice is also affected by function. We help you decide that if necessary. Most of our wood comes from a wholesaler and we buy rough boards which we work into the necessary sizes. This means that we can choose grain and color that are appropriate to the piece. Matching doors have panels of similar grain. We take into account the fact that wood moves, fades, darkens, and has distinctive figuring. We discuss with the customer the various benefits of using plywood in certain places or solid wood panels, and we talk with you about how we plan to build the piece, if you are interested. We always use dovetailed corners on drawers, and we use old fashioned mortise and tenon construction on some pieces. We make custom furniture because we love it, and we receive great satisfaction in making it turn out right.

Prices

 Obviously, custom furniture requires custom pricing, but we have a standardized system for reaching the cost. If you have a budget that you need to keep, it helps us to know this as we are designing the piece. After we have discussed the design and construction options with you, we give you a formal price quote. Our prices compete well with high end furniture, but because each piece is made individually, it is more expensive than mass produced pieces made in large factories. If you like our price, you make a down payment and we put you in the schedule.

E- mail us for more details.

 The cheval mirror is doubly unique. It was commissioned by the children of a couple who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, from some walnut harvested from the family farm.

 This oak wardrobe was made to be completely disassembled to fit up the narrow flight of stairs in an old farm house.. This piece was unfinished because the customer wanted to do that part herself.