"Okapi!" Entry Hall Table
This special piece, loosely based on the famous Gamble house entry hall table, is built around the rare, dense piece of genuine Honduran mahogany used for the tabletop and legs. Mahogany this beautiful is rare now. The secondary paneling is typical of the plantation grown Honduran mahogany that one finds today (old growth mahogany is import banned). The drawer and shelf are birds eye maple veneer on hard maple. The black accents are African wenge and the white stripes are hard maple. I built this with the attention to detail I would use for my own collection. Full mortise and tenon construction. The tabletop and shelf are floated with tabletop clips. The breadboard ends float on their tenons, held on only by hidden dowels. The finish is Watco Natural Danish Oil (twice wet-sanded on tabletop, shelf and drawer front) and Watco Satin wax. Sometimes I wish the client would back out of the deal:). Hard to imagine a room or house in which this would look poorly.
Long-time member
A Maker who has been a valued part of this community for several years.
Fast shipper
Customers say that this Maker ships promptly after completing a project.
Great service
This Maker has consistently demonstrated excellence in craftsmanship and customer service.
Jonathan Walkey is retired professional furniture maker who now makes selected pieces for discriminating clients. I am a one man studio, specializing in decorative arts and crafts, mid-century, Greene & Green, etc. furniture. my own personal style generally includes contrasting hardwoods with beautiful grains and hand worked inlays. In between commissions I simultaneously work on personal studio furniture projects.
I was raised in Lincoln Massachusetts where my father was the director of the DeCordova Museum of modern art. My mother worked as an expert in fine crafts and furniture . I attended many arts and crafts classes and summer art camps at the Museum. I was trained as a silversmith at age 11 and at age 12 built a 10 foot kayak made of wood and canvas. I was a U.S. Navy trained aviation mechanic and earned my living for 15 years as a master mechanic, working mainly on motorcycles. I am also a former carpenter, criminal appellate attorney, credentialed teacher, professional writer, and painter.
Today I apply my talents and interests to building fine arts and craft furniture. My lifelong continuing education combines training of the mind with training of the hands. What you buy from Jonathan is fine art as well as heirloom quality furniture built to last many lifetimes. These qualities are reflected in the cost of my work, neither of which should ever be compared with that of commercial furniture.
- LJ
Larry Jankauski
For Mission style craft/work table5.0This was my first experience commissioning a custom piece of furniture to be built, and I feel fortunate to have found Jonathan to handle the project, a crafting desk with large work surface for my wife. Working with Jonathan was a pleasure from start to finish – communication was excellent, he kept us up-to-date with frequent e-mail and pictures, accommodated all requirements (and changes) yet provided helpful recommendations based on his experience (also helping educate me on choice of wood and stain), and personally delivered and completed final assembly of the unit in my wife’s workshop. Jonathan is a meticulous craftsman and conscientious professional, and just an overall really nice guy to work with. The final result is beautiful, and my wife is very pleased with her new work desk, using it daily for her crafting and card making. I would not hesitate to recommend Jonathan, and certainly use him again for any future work. Thanks Jonathan!
- KL
kris leadens
For Solid Black Walnut Modern Table5.0Jonathan was a pleasure to work with. He kept me in the loop with every step of my project, and answered all my questions promptly. I would absolutely work with him again.
CSCristina Schaffer
For coffee table5.0Jonathan is an amazing wood working craftsman and artist. I shared my dimensions and emailed a few photos of coffee tables I liked, so he would have an idea of my personal style. He explained the process thoroughly and shared his thoughts and ideas. By the time he started, I felt confident that he would create the best table he possible could within my time frame and budget constraints. Jonathan kept me in the loop from the beginning of the project, as he shopped for the wood, to the end when he carefully varnished, sanded and polished layer after to layer to make sure the table would be beautiful for many many years to come.
It was a fabulous experience and I am considering having a dining room table custom made by Jonathan.
As you can from the photos below, the table is perfect in my family room. :-)
Tterry
For Lift Coffee Table5.0This was a great experience. Jonathan was a professional all the way through. He sourced the table lift, we worked together on design and wood selection. When he ran into issues he was quick to communicate and we worked them out. What a great service and a great guy
- WL
Willy Liu
For Glass Top Lift-Top Coffee/ Dining Table5.0Jonathan was extremely easy to work with and he had beautiful suggestions for our lift-top coffee table He provided progress pics of the table and communication was great. Also it was completed on time. I would absolutely work with Jonathan again.
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