Hi, I’m david taylor.
Some people find woodworking early.
I found it the hard way.
Before I ever picked up a hand plane, I spent over two decades doing things that seemed, on the surface, entirely unrelated. I served in the Army. I lived in Alaska, where I built a photography business from scratch, and learned more from its struggles than its successes. I spent the better part of twenty years working in healthcare, documenting the interior of the human eye for disease diagnosis and treatment.
What those years taught me, more than anything, is the difference between work that merely occupies your hands and work that genuinely engages your mind, your eye, and your sense of purpose.
Furniture making is the latter.
I came to it gradually. A keepsake box here, a custom desktop there. There is something about taking raw material and transforming it into something that solves a problem, fits a space, and outlasts a trend that I find deeply satisfying in a way nothing else has. I'm drawn to clean lines, honest joinery, and the kind of design that doesn't shout for attention but rewards a closer look. Shaker sensibility. Scandinavian restraint. The beauty of wood allowed to speak for itself.
I work out of northern Wisconsin. My wife and I are surrounded by the kind of quiet that makes it easy to think clearly about what something should be, before you start building it.
Every piece I make starts with a conversation. I want to understand not just what you need, but how you live.
Because the best furniture is both cherished and lived with. Beautiful enough to stop you in your tracks. Functional enough to become part of the rhythm of your days.
If that sounds like the kind of design partner you're looking for, I'd love to talk.
My Approach
Good furniture begins long before the first cut. It begins with the wood itself.I source my materials from local and regional lumber yards, favoring domestic hardwoods: walnut, cherry, maple, oak - chosen for their character, their grain, and their story. I believe in knowing where my materials come from, and building relationships with the people who supply them. Wood harvested and milled close to home carries a kind of integrity that shows in the finished piece.Every design begins as a sketch, or takes shape in a 3D design program before a single board is touched. For commissioned work, that process is collaborative - a conversation between your vision and my craft, refined until the design is exactly what it should be. The goal is always the same: furniture worthy of being called an heirloom. Pieces that will outlast trends, outlast fashions, and outlast the people who first brought them home.
I work with both hand and power tools; choosing the right instrument for what the moment requires. There is a place for precision machinery and a place for the quiet focus of hand work. Knowing the difference is part of the craft.I finish my work exclusively with hardwax oils and low or no-VOC finishes. Products that protect and enhance the natural beauty of the wood, without introducing harmful chemicals into your home. The finish should feel like a second skin, not a coating. It should let the wood breathe, age gracefully, and only improve with time and use.