BY MICHELE BLOOMQUIST for The Columbian
Have you ever searched high and low for that just
right piece of furniture only to find everything on the market to be a few inches too wide, a few inches too tall, or a few inches too deep?
That’s the challenge many clients bring to Portland based Showcase Designs, says owner Grant Hamilton.
The solution? To have a piece of custom furniture made that’s just right, he says.
Exactly What You Want
A division of Showcase Furniture Gallery, Showcase Designs focuses solely on building custom furniture piece by piece.
“The beauty of custom furniture is you can get exactly what you want,” Hamilton says. “Not almost what you want.”
Shop manager Doug Wilson and a crew of 15 skilled carpenters build all of the company’s made-to-order furniture at a 30,000 square foot state of the art woodshop on Hayden Island.
Wilson says thanks to their computer aided woodworking equipment, it’s possible to replicate any piece of wood furniture, down to the smallest detail.
“It opens up a whole new world to what we can manufacture,” Wilson says of the equipment. “We can match any molding, profile, or other element exactly.”
Because each piece is custom built, fitting furniture into a space with unusual measurements or that awkward corner is no problem, Hamilton says.
“It’s perfect to convert that odd space that nobody knows what to do with into usable space, like putting a built in desk at the top of a landing,” he says.
From Dream to Reality
Working from a photograph, sketch, or from examples on file, Wilson and Hamilton help clients turn the vision in their mind into a working design.
Once everyone is satisfied, a work order starts the process of cutting and assembling the piece.
In most cases, a single craftsman makes the piece from start to finish, Hamilton says.
“We take a lot of pride in our work,” he says. “There aren’t many shops like ours in the United States anymore, much less in the Pacific Northwest.”
Still, Hamilton says he refuses to cut costs by outsourcing his worker’s jobs overseas.
“We’re competing against labor that’s 29 cents an hour,” he says. “But we feel we offer a much higher quality product, and one that’s American made.”
Built for a Lifetime
Every piece of furniture created at Showcase Designs comes with a 20 year manufacturer’s warranty, Hamilton says.
“Very few customers ever have to take us up on it,” he says. “But if a hinge comes loose or a drawer glide starts sticking years later, we’ll come out and take care of it. Our furniture is built to last a lifetime.”
Construction techniques such as glued and screwed face frames, tongue and groove joints, and extra thick rabbeted-in back panels provide rock solid stability.
Added touches like equalized ball bearing table slides and accuride ball bearing drawer glides make sure each piece functions effortlessly.
Picture Perfect
Showcase Design offers furniture made from a variety of woods including hand selected solid cherry, maple, birch, and oak.
Depending on wood choice, up to 12 different finishes can further customize the look.
“We have samples of every stain on every wood, so customers can see exactly what the finished product will look like,” Wilson says.
Stains are applied by hand with a five-step process, adding depth and color to the finished piece.
A wide selection of hardware — from simple to elaborate handles and pulls — add yet another custom touch.
Unlike mass produced furniture lines, which can change woods, details, and finishes from year to year, custom pieces can be purchased over time without fear that things will change.
For example, the company offers modular office furniture for commercial or home use. The 18 interchangeable options combine to fit any need or space. Over time, additional pieces can be added as a customer’s needs change or as their business grows.
This way, the expense can be spread over several years but the end results still match perfectly, Hamilton says.
“We can even match something we made 20 years ago,” he says. “You won’t find that in imported furniture.”
Choose Your Style
Another advantage of custom furniture is that is can be made in any style to match any architecture, Hamilton says.
Need an armoire that will fit up the stairs of your turn of the century Victorian? Want a built in hutch in the dining room of your Craftsman that looks like it’s always been there? Wish you had a sleek table to fit that nook near the doorway of your mid-century ranch? Not a problem, Hamilton says.
“If you can picture it, we can make it,” he says. “We literally start from scratch. We’re happy to walk our clients through the process every step of the way to make sure they get exactly what they’re looking for.”
Because each piece is made to order by hand, custom furniture costs about 20 to 30 percent more than ready made and takes between 6 to 8 weeks to manufacture, Hamilton says.
“Custom made furniture is really for those people who know what they have in mind, have looked all over for it, and can’t find it anywhere,” he says. “That’s our niche.”
Resource List:
Showcase Designs Furniture
1107 N. Hayden Meadows Dr., Portland(503) 289-8364www.showcasefurnitureonline.com
