Cramer Built-Ins
A long time friend of mine happens to be a very promising architect in the area. He and I have collaborated on many of each others projects. Keith Phillips, of The Think Shop, is a name you will most definitely be seeing often on this site, and in many other design media. Keith and his wife are friends with a couple that bought a big beautiful old home in Detroit's Indian Village. The Cramer's have done a huge amount of work to update their home. When it came time to update the heating and cooling system, they were left with a bunch of empty cavities, where the old radiators used to be, under pretty much every window in the house. They asked Keith if he knew anybody that could fill the now empty old casework with some new built-ins, that would look as if they had always have been there. Without hesitation my name was given and the planning began. The custom, one off, design features from the time this home was built meant that each new piece was one of a kind, from the beautiful octagonal bay, which became a window seat with storage below, to the oddly shaped niche that became a writing desk below their beautiful leaded glass windows. I used quarter sawn, white oak, also known as tiger oak, as the primary material for all of the built-ins, that numbered 5 on the main floor. To compliment the new furniture I installed a 3 piece crown, picture hanging molding in the 2 large front rooms. This is one home in which I was truly honored to be able to exercise my craft. I very much look forward to working with the Cramer's on their second and third floors.
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.
Born in Detroit, the youngest of 5 siblings, Matt began working as a carpenter at the age of 19 framing a house in Birmingham with a small crew.
When the house was finished, everybody else on the small crew was let go. Matt and the owner then began building office furniture, making laminate countertops, doing interior trim work and kitchen installations, all from a small garage shop.
He then moved to another small construction company that took residential remodeling projects from start to finish.
Matt joined the Detroit Carpenters union in the mid 1990s working with union contractors doing both residential and commercial projects until moving to George P. Johnson Company.
At George P. Johnson, He was now building auto show exhibits. Matt quickly rose up to the role of a set-up supervisor on the Nissan and Infinity team. He traveled around the country working with local labor, overseeing the project builds, making sure the displays were set-up properly, safely and ready for the public, providing supervision for those major shows required excellent project management and organizational skills.
Grateful for the skills perfected, and opportunities presented, at George P. Johnson, Matt now wanted to strike out on his own again and produce custom work for his clients.
A close friend and great architect, Keith Phillips, put him in touch with William Massie, head of the architecture department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Bill asked Matt if he was interested in going to upstate New York to work on a few custom builds.
One of the projects was a house Bill designed for Matt’s now good friend Greg Wooten. This home has been featured in design, architecture and fashion, books and magazines.
He then worked closely with Bill on his “Americas House '08” project, a build that was eventually set-up as a temporary exhibit on the grounds of Cranbrook in front of the art museum.
The next experience with Bill Massie had Matt traveling to the small Caribbean island of Mustique to manage and work on a new resort project. He spent three weeks at a time working on a very high end, private resort the likes of which had not been seen on that island, and likely an architectural rarity on any island.
Matt continues to concentrate efforts on expanding his business fabricating custom furniture and built-ins. His expertise carries on into many different materials, such as, metal and cast concrete, in addition to wood.
Matt also restores vintage Detroit muscle cars, helping him to hone his welding and metal working skills, and recently expanded into his new custom shop in Royal Oak, MI, from here on out referred to as his happy place!
Discover true craftsmanship each week
A guide to the best items from the best makers and the stories behind them.