How It Began

Creating fine furniture and cabinetry, whether one-of-a-kind custom or production pieces, requires a dedication to craftsmanship, uncompromising attention to detail, precision, creativity and mastery of a variety of hand tools, machinery and computers. So it should come as no surprise that Tassajara Designs is owned and operated by two career high-tech business people – Mike Wells and Tim Crabtree.

When asked what we did before founding Tassajara Designs, we often tell people we were “high-tech refugees” seeking more rewarding endeavors that would draw on our experience as engineers and business managers, offer new avenues for artistic expression and appeal to our shared passion for woodworking. Our search ended in 2004 with the founding of Tassajara Designs. It is here that we’ve perfectly blended our high-tech business experience with our passion for creating exciting and unique designs in wood.

Licensed, Bonded and Insured

Tassajara Designs, Inc. is a California Licensed Contractor (C-6, Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry). We are fully bonded and carry liability insurance. We urge our customers to check the license, bond and insurance status of any prospective contractor using the California Contractor's State License Board web site before entering into a contract for construction services involving your real property. We can also provide a certificate of our liability insurance upon request.

Our Business Philosophy

In a world of big-box stores selling cheaply-made, uninspiring mass-produced furniture, we constantly strive to combine our unique designs, attention to quality and our passion for craftsmanship to set us apart. We believe our furniture should last – and be passed down – for generations, not just until the next time you move your household.

Buying fine furniture and cabinetry is a very personal decision. It says a lot about who you are, your appreciation for design and style and the natural beauty of wood. We don't think things made by the thousands and shipped in containers addresses these needs. This is why we design and build everything we make, whether custom one-of-a-kind pieces, or our L'Attitudes collection, right here at our shop in Carlsbad. Every piece is made in the U.S.A., with a local, legal work force.

What We Do Differently

Unique Designs

Our design style varies depending on customer's requirements, but most often reflects a fusion of traditional styles such as Arts & Crafts with its simple lines and blending of form and function, and more modern and contemporary styling which emphasizes curves and reveals to enhance the interplay of light and shadow. We often collaborate with one of the several resident artisans in our design studio who work in glass, stone and metal to create a functional work of art.

A readily available supply of very large natural wood slabs in a variety of domestic and exotic species offers us the opportunity to create truly unique custom pieces for our customers. These pieces tend to reflect the works of George Nakashima and other contemporary artisans who created many beautiful and varied "natural" slab designs.

Craftsmanship

We believe there's a lot more to craftsmanship than simply knowing how to use power tools or gluing two pieces of wood together. It begins with an attitude – an attitude that values quality over quantity. Craftsmanship is about paying attention to details – both large and small. It's about knowing which tool to use and what joint will contribute aesthetically as well as structually to the result. Craftsmanship is about enjoying the creative process of taking the right piece of wood and a good design and creating something of beauty to be appreciated and handed down through generations. A craftsman can feel and hear how a piece of wood cuts, and know – even without looking – whether the result is correct, or not.

We set high standards for our work, and as a result the craftsmanship we put into each piece our customers receive is apparent.

Sustainable Materials

Many of our customers share our concerns for the dwindling supply of many domestic and exotic wood species. So, when undertaking any project, we recommend the use of sustainable or alternative materials whenever possible. For instance, many of our recent projects, including our own L'Attitudes line of furniture, have used Plyboo™, a bamboo compositie material that is not only strong and beautiful, but also highly sustainable. In other instances, we recommend construction methods, such as creating wood veneers from an exotic wood species, in order to minimize the amount of materials required for a project.

Non-Polluting/Non-Toxic Finishes and Adhesives

Whenever a project requires the look and protection of a film topcoat finish, we turn to water-based finishes from Target Coatings. For several years we have been using materials from Target, a leading innovator in the development and manufacture of water-based coatings. The Federal Government has identified certain chemicals as indoor air pollutants and has begun regulating the amount of these chemicals present in the air we breathe at home and in our workplace. Target's sealers, stains, lacquer, conversion varnish and polyurethane finishes meet the Federal Government and California's most stringent VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) minimums, and are HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutant) free. For projects requiring a "close to the wood" finish, we use Tried & True™ natural linseed finishing oil. It imparts a deep warm look and color, accents the natural figure and imparts a silky smooth feel to the surface. But, unlike the oil finishes you will find in your local hardware store's paint department, Tried & True is 100% polymerized linseed oil and does not contain any solvents or heavy metal driers – in fact, it is completely non-toxic and "food-safe".

Another equally important contributor to HAPs in the environment is the type of adhesives used in the materials for our furniture and cabinets. Plyboo™, for instance, is made with low formaldahyde, low VOC adhesives. The Federal Government has identified formaldahyde as a dangerous indoor pollutant. Many other materials, such as particle board and traditional plywood, emit formaldahyde. We avoid using these materials wherever possible – and as you might expect, natural solid woods do not emit HAPs, so our use of them on many of our projects and products eliminates those concerns.

The concern we share with our customers for reducing or eliminating VOCs and HAPs in our processes means that our shop and your home or office will be a more healthy, less toxic environment in which to enjoy your Tassajara-designed furniture or cabinetry.

Find out more about these dangerous chemicals and gasses by clicking here.