Curly Maple And Cherry Bench

I brought Jeff a conceptual, imaginative design for a wooden mirror frame (and shelves to compliment it) that I figured would not be do-able in the world of woodworking and art. Jeff immediately took a keen interest in the design but acknowledged this would be a tough one. The design included the joining of different species of wood complicated with numerous curves, angles, thickness variations, smooth transitions, and also proud fragile areas that had to be hand-carved. The design evolved even through the last stages of the building process. We hashed out every detail and option together. Jeff's expertise always left me feeling confident about the decisions we came to. Through some experimentation with test pieces Jeff was able to figure out the sequence of events needed to make the construction of this frame a reality. The end result is absolutely amazing and attests to Jeff's extreme love for working with wood and his desire to create the most excellent furniture possible for his customer. It has been an extreme pleasure working with Jeff on this project.

Functional Art

It's quite an understatement to say that Jeff makes furniture - what he really does is make Functional Art. You'll be surprised by the really incredible quality and extreme attention to detail.

We started with existing designs he had for barstools and chairs. We modified the dimensions slightly. We decided on cherry and then he picked out some amazing quilted maple to use as accents. He sent us renderings so we knew exactly what to expect.

Please don't be in a hurry. These are hand crafted with care and that takes time.

He ended up making a total of 2 barstools and 6 dining chairs for us. It was all shipped to Hawaii. Jeff even made the crates and packed them so the chairs made the trip in perfect condition.

Working with Jeff was a fantastic experience from the initial planning stages, to the delivery of the finished piece. I wanted to have Jeff build me a shoe bench that drew from Japanese design with a bit of Greene and Greene, but still feel simple and contemporary. Jeff was very collaborative working out the design in Sketch Up, solving design problems and making suggestions for wood choices and detail ideas. Once we had the finished design Jeff was kind enough to let me go with him to pick out some of the wood. One of the reasons I enjoyed working with Jeff so much was his patience and willingness to share his process. Once we had our wood Jeff sent photos as the piece took shape and even had me come by to settle final details for the inset walnut pulls which help give the piece so much character. I couldn't be happier with the bench and I'd love to work with Jeff again, he's a true artist.

The beautiful table and mirror frame Jeff O'Brien built for me were top notch in design, materials, construction and finish. They arrived on time and in perfect condition. The six month lead time was a bit worrisome, but the results were flawless. I would not hesitate to work with Jeff again.

-Martha

Jeff did a great job on the crab pot coffee table. From the initial discussion to the final delivered project. His attention to detail and his professionalism is second to none. I recommend him heartily and will be using him again for my next project.