Custom Eyes

Atlanta Wood Joiners

Mitchell Gant started making custom furniture in 1988 and has spent the last 19 years honing his craft, now heading up Atlanta Wood Joiners, where he creates furniture-grade cabinetry and some freestanding pieces.

“We thrive on customization and the challenges that come with it,” he says. “No two jobs are alike, and we specialize in tailoring our product to the precise desires of designers and their clients.”

He points out, too, that his is not a design firm but, instead, an engine for designers and architects to bring their visions to reality.

“Our scope of work is very broad in the sense that we start with a two-dimensional drawing from an architect or designer, and we essentially bring it to life. We engineer it, fabricate it, mobilize it, plan the logistics of installation, and ultimately bring their vision to fruition.”

And what inspires him every day? “I tend to draw my inspiration from the creative power of timeless designs,” he explains. “My eyes were opened to the power of such designs after watching an interview on PBS decades ago.

The walnut-and-black custom cabinetry in this Virginia-Highland homeowner’s kitchen and office appears more like furniture.

Raymond Loewy, known as the father of industrial design, was asked what he considered to be the perfect design. His reply was the egg. I was fascinated by his response and have drawn inspiration from simple, yet timeless designs ever since.”

ATLANTA WOOD JOINERS
Mitchell Gant
737 Harry McCarty Road, Suite 206
Bethlehem, GA 30620
(770) 867-5153

WelbornHenson’s Baer Table

WelbornHenson

On any given day, WelbornHenson is abuzz with several projects going simultaneously—chairs for a new restaurant, a conference table for an architecture firm, metal signage for an automobile dealership, a custom entertainment center, a steel staircase for a lighting studio.

At the helm is John Henson, a mechanical engineer with a love for modern design. Inspired by the work of designers such as Marcel Breuer and Charles and Ray Eames—as well as Scandinavian design in general—he works side-by-side with the industrial designers whom he hires, crafting custom one-off furniture, built-in cabinetry, architectural panels and specialty millwork. Together they construct pieces to last a lifetime, using solid wood and wood veneers as well as metal, glass, laminate and stone. What’s more, WelbornHenson is right in step with today’s green movement, offering its customers low-VOC finishes, sustainable woods and recycled materials.

“We love to work on challenging projects,” Henson says. “We think about how each material, connection and joint helps achieve the overall design intent.” The “Baer” table (pictured), for instance, was created using a dry-bent process to form the tapering legs; four large dovetail joints cross each other under the top, making the underside just as beautiful as the top. One can only imagine where this company’s creativity will take it next.

WELBORNHENSON
John Henson
501 Edgewood Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 523-9277
welbornhenson.com

McAllister custom-designed the built-in cabinets in the sitting room of this Serenbe residence.

Built-to-Order

Tucked away in Palmetto, Georgia, is Built-to-Order, founded in 2001 by Paul McAllister and his wife, Charli, to provide an outlet for their combined creative talents. Custom cabinetry and furniture are among their specialties, each piece built with tried-and-true Old World craftsmanship. Paul takes particular pride in helping customers translate their ideas into a piece of furniture that is feasible. “I understand creative people, because I’m one of them,” he says. “It can be a process to extract what it is they want and accurately transfer it to paper. Sometimes the drawing stage … takes a while, but I don’t mind because, when it’s time to build the piece, I know I’m making exactly what my customer wants.” 

In fact, you may have seen the McAllisters’ work and not even realized it: In the cottages at the Serenbe Inn; the stainless-steel-wrapped tables at JCT Kitchen; or the stackable display tables at Bella Cucina Artful Foods. Don’t think for a minute that Built-to-Order focuses solely on commercial clientele. These projects are a great way to see the company’s capabilities before planning a project for your personal residence.

BUILT-TO-ORDER
Paul and Charli McAllister
9700 Hutcheson Ferry Road
Palmetto, GA
(404) 386-0308

This entertainment center custom-built by Soorikian could serve as a console or a dresser.

Soorikian Furniture recently introduced a line of custom window wall systems.

Soorikian Furniture

Specializing in high-end modern interiors, Matt and Karen Soorikian bring their training as architects to each stunning piece they design—be it one of their custom creations or their limited-run line of production furniture.

But the goal is always the same: functional, space-conscious furnishings that bring beauty, harmony and order to their surroundings.

An extending table, for instance, might have a leaf-storage drawer that holds fitted tablecloths, too.

And cabinet depths are intentionally kept to a minimum so that pieces don’t eat up valuable floor space while drawers may actually extend beyond the body of the cabinet itself.

It’s all a part of their mantra that pieces should have the minimum dimensions required for the function they serve.

Just as important as size and scale, though, are simplicity and elegance of both form and color.

So where does this team turn for inspiration?

“The wood shop itself,” says Matt. 

“The process of making—and the physical nature of the materials—inform our design more than anything else. Oh yeah, and music is really great, too.”

SOORIKIAN FURNITURE
Matt and Karen Soorikian
4705 Robinson Dr.
Atlanta, GA 30336
(404) 691-2120, soorikian.com

R.L. Goins-designed four-panel Dutch screen.

R.L. Goins

Maybe you’ve longed for one of its signature hand-painted screens. Or seen the 20-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower that was built for a DIFFA event—now at home in front of Jane Marsden at 2300 Peachtree Street.

R.L. Goins has been serving up custom creations since 1996, its to-the-trade designs reaching well beyond the scope of furniture per se to also comprise a wide variety of surfaces—including walls, canvas, silk, leather, glass and mirror. (Additionally, Raymond Goins, the company’s customized high-end furniture collection—available through the Grizzel and Mann showroom—was introduced in 2001.) And it’s more than the forms that are eye-catching; finishes include everything from original chinoiserie and landscapes to deeply honed lacquer and exquisite verre eglomise.

“My studio has been referred to as a modern-day ‘Jansen’ workshop,” says founder Raymond L. Goins. “We handle the designer’s every wish; there’s no end to our design and production capabilities. We’ve done beds and screens, soft furnishings and lighting.” And where does this tastemaker get his inspiration? “I’m a romantic,” he says. “I am fascinated by history, culture and art and captivated by creating new works.”

R.L. GOINS
Raymond Goins
2217 Irvindale Dr., Suite 2
Atlanta, GA 30341
(678) 281-0559, rlgoins.com
 

Ballachino designed custom cabinets around this column to seperate a living area.

Ballacchino Designs

In business for 17 years, Michael Ballacchino prides himself on helping clients complete their artistic visions through the design and fabrication of one-of-a-kind pieces. It may be a stunning piece of freestanding furniture or an exquisite built-in, but each design—whatever the style—transcends both time and trends.

“My source of inspiration has changed over time, but the majority of my creativity strangely comes from classical architecture abroad,” says the designer, who specializes in working with all varieties of wood as well as metal and glass. And, frequently, a single creation isn’t enough for his clients; one seems to lead to another. One of his recent projects, for example, included a modern kitchen in stainless steel and wenge wood, an entertainment center in the living room, and a fireplace wall complete with two 9-foot-tall display cabinets and a bronzed aluminum fireplace surround.

His projects may be varied, but they all have a common denominator. Each design is just as functional as it is fashionable, proving not only that form follows function, but form fulfills function, too.

BALLACCHINO DESIGNS
Michael Ballacchino
(404) 607-0455
ballacchinodesign.com