A Visit to New England Antique Lumber Inc.
I’m always on the lookout for new, interesting and inspiring artisans and their shops, and love it when these great finds are right here in the New York City area.
If you follow this blog and my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 regularly, you may recall a recent farm project when I had several trees taken down from the shade garden near my Tenant House. The 125-foot giants were leaning dangerously close to the structure, and had to be removed for safety reasons. Once the trees were cut, I decided to save the logs and have them milled into usable boards for future use, and called on Mauricio Guevara for his expertise. Mauricio is a skilled lumberer, master woodworker and restorer. He and his wife, Patricia, own New England Antique Lumber Inc., in Mount Kisco, New York - a family-owned and operated business specializing in salvaging reclaimed timbers, and creating custom wood pieces. I have visited their showroom on several occasions - always admiring the beauty and craftsmanship of their work.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- Mauricio first became interested in working with reclaimed wood after several years in the construction business. He and Patricia opened their showroom in 2015.
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- The showroom features a number of tables, chairs, counters and other restored antique pieces.
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- On one side is a bedroom set-up showing one of their reclaimed wood bed frames. They also showcase various wall art made by local artists.
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- In this corner, different wood samples line the wall to show variations in grain and color.
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- The wood and timbers come from a variety of different sources ranging from historical to agricultural buildings. As soon as an old structure is ready for demolition, Mauricio and his team jump in to salvage the wood. Many of these boards come from old barns and factories.
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- They take the time to delicately dismantle these aging structures in order to salvage the best quality wood possible. All types of wood can be used – reclaimed siding, beams and flooring. Wood salvaged from older buildings may have also come from old-growth timber, which has more density, hardness, and tight grain characteristics that are difficult or impossible to find in new lumber.
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- Some of the most popular woods include black walnut and maple, but they also work with ash, English elm, Claro walnut, maple big leaf, chestnut, butternut, beech, bubinga, cherry, and white oak.
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- Here are several different samples showing the stains Mauricio develops himself.
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- Some of the reclaimed wood is used to create wooden exterior and interior doors.
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- While other pieces are used to create chairs and other pieces of furniture.
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- But the real eye-catchers are these live edge slab tabletops – no two slabs will be exactly alike, making each project completely unique.
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- Samples of these exquisite tables fill every wall. The tabletop in the center shows the result of joining two pieces together using what is called a butterfly key.
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- Here is another natural live edge slabs. Some of these pieces are made from single cuts of wood, showing the age and size of the tree.
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- This table is made using three pieces joined together – the irregular channels look so artistic.
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- Look at the feather-like veining in this table.
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- The rich contours of natural wood edges give tables, benches, and other projects a sculptural quality, almost as much art as furniture. Mauricio developed this gray stain himself.
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- Here is another table in the showroom – every table is different and can be custom made to any size.
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- On another side of the showroom is a kitchen island – the base also made from reclaimed wood.
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- On this table, the top was made round by using epoxy to fill in and around the natural wood voids and edges.
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- This smaller tabletop is being shown as a desk – desk tables are sanded as smooth as possible.
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- Other pieces include this section of tree root made into a side table.
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- And this piece cut into a chair.
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- One of Mauricio’s favorite pieces is this tabletop in the center of the showroom. It is an enormous gray maple top. The tree it came from was about 620-years old. It’s one solid piece averaging six-feet wide and 14-feet in length.
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- Its incredible character, grain and live edge makes it nature’s work of art.
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- Mauricio and Patricia stopped for this quick photo – thank you for giving us a tour of your beautiful showroom. For more information on New England Antique Lumber and the work they create, please go to their web site. What are some of your favorite neighborhood artisans? Share them in the comments section below.
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