Bench With Sculpted Legs

Ten years ago, we moved into a new Craftsman style house. Although the outside was quite authentic, the interior finishing was minimal. In particular, the fireplace, , usually a focus of a Craftsman house, had a surround that was just a plain pine rectangle. When we got serious about upgrading it, we found some lovely tiles, but could not find an antique surround and mantel. We had known Jim Oleson through his very artistic and original wooden coffee tables and asked him to take a look. Jim, working closely with us, designed and built a beautiful surround from quarter sawn oak, with Craftsman details added in a dark tropical wood. Jim is a pleasure to work with—he has good ideas, draws quickly and well and reacts creatively to suggestions. In doing the actual building, he was meticulous. He made a paper template for his work, fitted to the space, then a plywood template, and finally the oak veneer. Most of the work was done in his own workshop, so there was no mess in our living room. Fitting the new surround exactly into the existing space was a challenge (no longer a perfect rectangle as the house had settled), and Jim took great care to see that it was done perfectly. He also stained the wood to match our existing furniture. The result, we think, is stunning. We were so pleased that we asked him to design and build a matching coffee table, also from quarter saw oak, with trim that subtly matches the fireplace. We thought his price for the work was quite fair, especially considering that it was an entirely custom job. Jim kept the work area meticulously clean during the several stages of work and accomplished the job in a reasonable time for a design/build project. We would recommend him to friends and to anyone who seeks high quality original wood work.