Solid Cherry Media Console - Sweet Caroline

This is a difficult review. I contacted several people thru CustomMade regarding building a cabinet for under our TV that would hold all the related electronic equipment. I chose Richard Louis with Dovetail and Stiches. The good: Richard was easy to work with, helped with the design, and was quick to answer any questions. The finished product was beautifully crafted and well made. The bad: The stained finish is not quite what I wanted and does not match the example photos I sent to Richard. The colors in the photos he sent me of the finished product before shipping don’t really match the unit in person. This is not necessarily Richard’s fault, just disappointing. Chaulk it up to the camera or the computer monitor. This is the problem with having something built where you can’t check on the product as it is being made. I will probably try to sand the unit down and re-stain or paint it. The ugly: After it was complete, Richard sent photos of the finished product. Two sections of the wood framing the doors were significantly darker than all other parts of the doors and of the main cabinet, which looked terrible. Richard said that was just the nature of wood, but for an additional $330, he could change it! His claim of 100% customer satisfaction came at a cost. Additionally, when it arrived there was a small stain on the top that did not seem to come from the crate the unit was shipped in and was not shown in any photos. Bottom line, I could have bought a similar piece in a retail store for half the cost, and considering the extra charge to address what should have been done right to begin with, I would not recommend Dovetail and Stiches.

I ended up with a nightstand far more beautiful than the one in the photo. Richard is a true artist and we collaborated on what turned out to be a work of art. Richard chose the perfect cherry and we designed a one-of-a-kind piece that is not only functional but stunning.
The communication was perfect. I am an artist and showed Richard the piece that will be hanging next to this nightstand. It inspired him to make a suggestion that we add a brass inlay and that turned out to be genius. It took it to a completely new level. I wish there was a way for me to attach a photo to this review because the finished product is amazing.

Richard (and his wife) were amazing with this project. The product he created is true craftsmanship, which is hard to find these days. He was wonderful about communicating and providing pictures every step of the way, asking for my feedback, making sure things were going the way I'd hoped, etc., etc. This is truly a beautiful table, incredibly well-made, and a piece of art in addition to function. And it was shipped so securely it could have been run over and still been fine! It was a true pleasure to work with him, and his ability to create beauty is astounding. I'm so grateful to have connected with him on this project and cannot recommend him more highly!

Fantastic end to end experience. Richard at Dovetails and Stitches truly did an outstanding job with “Old Friends”- our bench for our kids. Richard was prompt in communicating and explained the process well. We are exceptionally happy with the finished project. Hope to have something else for them to work on soon!

Looks fantastic and will really bring warmth and functionality to my front hall. Worth every nickel (we don't have pennies anymore LOL). Thank you very much for your care and attention. I would recommend you to anyone.

Craig