Inlaid Cherry, Maple, And Bubinga Blanket Chest
Cherry frame, maple veneered plywood panels, bubinga and walnut hand-cut, hand routered inlays (no CNC). Piano hinge, spring support, and latches for child safety. Finished in wet-sanded Danish oil and satin wax.
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.
- TI
tom ingrassia
For Greene And Greene Table5.0We are very picky when it comes to furniture. We have purchased a few pieces of Stickley furniture. Stickley is very high quality but we really wanted something of high quality but designed just for us. Jonathan was the artist! We communicated by email. He was very timely with his responses and very detailed with his descriptions. I kept thinking to myself that he may get frustrated with us because we went back and forth on email at least 25 times. He was a perfect gentleman. Although we knew what we wanted, Jonathan gave us choices and gentle guidance so we could keep our vision in tact. Our table has Seven inlays of maple leafs and many more rectangular inlays at the bottom of the legs. What I find so subtle yet unique is that the inlays are not just copied from the original. All of the leafs, when you look closely, are different. This would never be seen in a factory piece, even with Stickley. We are extremely happy. The price was very competitive.
- BS
BRANDON STEVENS
For Custom mid century end tables4.7Jonathan was freaking awesome! I couldn't find matching end tables for a beautiful mid century modern coffee table that I purchased awhile back, so I started looking for wood workers who could make a couple of them for me. I came across Custommade while surfing the web after a month of looking without success. I discussed the project with several other gentlemen on the site without any luck as they all had unreasonable asking prices for the work. I mean i expected to pay more than $1k for 2 custom tables but $3k to $6k was ridiculous! Then I came across Jonathan who was not only enthusiastic about the project from the start but also asked a very reasonable $1400 for the pair. We was very knowledgeable and gave some great suggestions throughout the process. I admit I was pretty picky and very specific in what I was looking for but he took it in stride and created 2 beautiful pieces that will be in my family for a long time to come. The workmanship is exceptional. I chose to drive down to San Diego from Santa Cruz to pick them up myself and meet the man who had done the work. Jonathan was very nice and I am glad I chose him to do the job. Great work great guy! Do not hesitate to have him do whatever you need done, you will not be disappointed!
- NF
Nat Flip
For Ibi's Table Base For Glass Top Dining Table5.0Jonathan was absolutely wonderful to work with! He designed a custom table base for us after listening carefully to our needs. He also went on an expedition to find the perfect plank of walnut that would blend well with our existing furniture. He was so response and answered all of our questions along the way. I was blown away by the very personal attention gave us and with the quality of his work! I would have him make every future piece of furniture in our home if we could! Thank you Jonathan! We couldn’t be happier!
- HW
Hill Wellford
For Base for glass-top 36 or 42" table - Ibi? Tipe? Tripod?5.0I purchased his "tipi" table in cherry wood. It's great and I would definitely use him again. The woodwork is perfect and the joining hardware (it comes apart in two pieces for shipping or storage) is all metal-on-metal. He installed two captive threaded sleeves, rather than screws-into-wood, which is higher quality than I was expecting. Definitely an A-plus.
WAWm A
For Shaker/Hepplewhite Side Table5.0Antika, did a great job on all fronts. Materials, craftsmanship, and design were superior. Would certainly work with them on future projects.
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