A life built around the kitchen

From Necessity to Heirloom Craft

What began as a practical need has become a lifetime at the bench: designing heavy-duty kitchen workstations that serve the cook first and grow more beautiful with every scratch, spill, and shared meal.

Washington, D.C., 1980

Newly married and stationed near Washington, D.C., Paul and Bonnie couldn’t afford frequent restaurant meals or fine furniture. Weeknights were spent learning to cook with local fresh market and seafood ingredients and in woodworking classes and trips to rural lumberyards for hardwoods. Every piece of furniture in their home was built by hand—designed to host friends, feed family, and to make the most of a smalls paces.

Man sitting at a table with drinks and food, vintage setting

Designing the First Workstation

Years later in Colorado, with three teenagers at home and Bonnie teaching cooking classes in their kitchen, the need changed: they required a serious food-prep station that could carry the weight of daily cooking, students, and endless dinner parties.

Paul studied historic European and American kitchens, then designed a massive island from solid hardwood and steel. When they set it in place, Bonnie joked, ‘Come the hurricane, we’ll know where to go.’ That first island became the blueprint for every workstation we build today.

Family gathering in a kitchen with people sitting around a table.

Inside the Cedaredge Studio

Today, Paul still works one piece at a time in Cedaredge, Colorado, selecting each board for grain and strength, laying out joinery by hand, and finishing every surface to live at the center of a working kitchen.

No two islands are identical. Each one carries a record of decisions—the choice of wood, the curve of an edge, the weight of the base—made so a cook can work with confidence for decades.

Man using a router on a piece of wood in a workshop.
Wooden kitchen island with wine bottle and glass in a modern kitchen.
Wooden wall-mounted shelf with plates, bowls, and wine glasses on a neutral wall.
Person cutting carrots on a wooden cutting board with a bowl of chopped vegetables nearby.
Person standing by a wooden kitchen island with cookware and a book
Wooden table with a metal container and cloth on a wooden floor.
Wooden caddy with kitchen items including bottles, spoons, and a towel on a wooden surface.
  • Chef-Centric by Design

    Every island starts with the chef: generous prep surfaces, storage where you need it, and a weight that never wobbles under real work.

  • American Hardwoods, Responsibly Sourced

    We work exclusively with sustainable American hardwoods, sourced through Colorado Western-slope suppliers who share our respect for native forests.

  • Built to Earn Its Patina

    These pieces are not meant to stay pristine. Knife marks, spilled wine, and burn rings become the story of your kitchen—not flaws to hide.