Louis XIV Sideboard
Walnut & Walnut Burl
Bookmatched walnut burl wrapped around a bowed carcass, crowned with a shaped marble top. The veneer layout took longer than the joinery — which is the correct order of priorities.
Custom furniture & cabinetry — Tacoma, Washington
Custom furniture and cabinetry, built around your story
Design-build furniture, kitchens and architectural millwork, made by hand in Tacoma since 2006. No catalogues. No copies. One story, one piece.
- At the bench
- 40+ years
- Founded
- 2006
- Disciplines
- Five
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Who we are
Every line is earned. Nothing wasted.
Wood, metal, glass, paint and stain — revealed, never disguised.
We are a design-build studio in Tacoma, Washington, making furniture, kitchens, bath cabinetry and architectural millwork for people who intend to keep things. Founded in 2006 by Carlos Taylor-Swanson after four decades that ran from picture framing to yacht interiors, the shop combines architectural rigour with personal meaning.
We don't follow trends. We follow stories. Each commission becomes your story, made solid.
What we make
Five disciplines, one bench
Everything below is drawn, built and installed by the same crew, in the same Tacoma shop.
Kitchens
Rooms built around how you actually cook, in species chosen for how they age.
View workFurniture
One-off commissions in walnut, burl and rare stock. No catalogue, no repeats.
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Vanities & Bath
Moisture-ready hardwoods, built to the millimetre for rooms that never quite fit stock.
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Built-Ins & Millwork
Work that looks as though the original builder put it there.
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Commercial & Hospitality
Specified, scheduled and installed for spaces that open on a fixed date.
View workSelected work
Pieces with names
A commission is not a product line. These four exist once.
Mirador Credenza
Antique Mirror & Whitewashed Maple
Interlocking circle mullions in whitewashed maple, set over hand-antiqued mirror. Fifteen years on it still looks like it was made this year.
Walnut Ridge Residence
Live-Edge Walnut
A single walnut slab, flattened and stabilised in our shop, seating ten beneath a vaulted beamed ceiling.
Stillwater Kitchen
Afrormosia Cabinets
Afrormosia throughout, chosen for the way it deepens with light rather than fading. The live-edge bar was cut from the same tree as the island.
How we work
Four steps, no surprises
You see drawings, samples, a written estimate and a dated schedule before anything is cut.
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01 — Discovery
Start with Story
We begin with a conversation about your space, your rhythm, and the kind of presence you want to create. Not a product list — a conversation. What the room is for, how you move through it, what you already own that has to live alongside the new work.
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02 — Design
Design with Discipline
Sketches become measured drawings. You see shop drawings, material samples and finish samples before a single board is cut, along with a written estimate and a dated schedule. Nothing goes into production on a verbal maybe.
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03 — Creation
Build with Care
Stock is selected board by board, grain matched, and cut in our Tacoma shop. Traditional joinery where it earns its place, modern hardware where that serves you better. Every piece is dry-fitted complete before it is finished.
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04 — Installation
Deliver Presence
Our own crew delivers and installs, scribing to walls that are never quite plumb. We leave the site clean, walk you through care, and stay reachable afterwards — a repairable finish is only useful if someone will repair it.
The studio
Made by hand, in Tacoma
From yacht interiors to heirloom furniture, Carlos Taylor-Swanson has spent the last forty years shaping wood into story — and the bench he founded now runs six makers deep.
40+
Years at the bench
2006
Studio founded
240ft
Largest yacht fitted
Black walnutRift-cut white oakWalnut burlAfrormosiaWhitewashed mapleLive-edge elmAntique mirrorBlackened steelTeakHand-rubbed oilBlack walnutRift-cut white oakWalnut burlAfrormosiaWhitewashed mapleLive-edge elmAntique mirrorBlackened steelTeakHand-rubbed oil
Client reviews
What clients say, by trade
Reviews from our Google Business Profile, grouped by the kind of work we did. Filter to the category you are considering.
Commercial & Hospitality
Madera Furniture Company created a GORGEOUS Boardroom table for our office! The folks at Madera were able to work within our budget to create a beautiful, quality table that is sturdy yet elegant, and with the exact style and features we desired. We truly appreciate Carlos and the entire Madera team for going above and beyond! We highly recommend Madera Furniture Company, and we look forward to working with them again in the future!
Built-Ins & Millwork
I hired Madera to make a built in seat that matches the style of an existing built in, and to make some decorative endcaps for outside wall corners. Their project manager showed up, discussed the design, took a bunch of measurements, and left. A few days later I had shop drawings and a very reasonable estimate given the material involved (all rift cut white oak). Less than 2 months later everything was ready to install. The quality of the product they delivered is incredible. The bench perfectly matches the style we were going for, and the endcaps look as if they were installed by the original builder. Being in Tacoma while my home is in Seattle makes communication key, and they really nailed it. I couldn't be happier with my decision to hire them for the project.
Interiors & Commercial
Carlos and Madera are exceptional in their work product and client services. They were part of the team truly transforming the first floor of my home into a piece of beautiful and liveable art. They were also part of the team creating a spectacular work environment in my office. Carlos is creative and very nice; his work is of the highest quality and within the established budget. He was prompt in responding to questions and always accessible. I recommend him without reservation, and actually encourage you to talk with him about any decorative needs you have!
Furniture
Carlos is amazing. He not only aims to succeed in making what you mentally 'see' and scribble childlike on paper, he verbalizes ideas and comes up with photos of completed projects for you to view so you both are on the same page prior to the project beginning. The finished result was beyond our expectations.
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Tell us about the room
Every piece begins with a conversation about your space, your rhythm, and the kind of presence you want to create. Send a few lines and we will take it from there.
No catalogues. No copies. One piece.
If you have a room that stock furniture keeps failing, we should talk.