Furniture Design · Architectural Millwork · Chicago
Custom furniture, architectural millwork, and the drawing sets that get them built right.
Independent studio in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Designing bespoke tables, built-in libraries, and commercial interiors with direct shop supervision.
Pilsen Studio · 41.8562° N, 87.6467° W
Selected Works
View Full Project Index → Built in the shop, proven on site.
Humboldt Park Library & Reading Room
1,400-volume perimeter oak library with integrated radiator heat plenum and rolling brass ladder.
Ten-Seat White Oak Dining Table
Solid rift-sawn white oak with knock-down mechanical joinery engineered for narrow walk-up stairwells.
Stool Series for Cafe Colectivo
Twenty-four ash and blackened steel counter stools built on a single jig with field-replaceable foot glides.
Studio Capabilities
What we design, engineer, and build.
From one-off heirloom dining tables to multi-room library millwork, every piece begins with full CAD tolerances and hand-graded domestic lumber.
$4,200 6–10 weeks
Bespoke Furniture Commissions
Dining tables, credenzas, desks, and statement seating crafted from hand-selected domestic hardwoods with lifetime hardware warranties.
$8,500 8–14 weeks
Architectural Millwork & Built-Ins
Full-room library walls, fireplace surrounds, banquette seating, and kitchen islands coordinated directly with your general contractor.
$1,800 2–3 weeks
Production Drawing Sets & Scribe Plans
Exhaustive 2D/3D fabrication drawing sets, hardware schedules, cut lists, and fastener details for independent builders and millshops.
$2,500 3–5 weeks
Material Consulting & Prototyping
Full-scale physical joinery mockups, custom stain and oil finish formulation, and species durability testing for commercial hospitality.
How We Work
Clear drawings. Zero surprises.
We eliminate the gap between what is drawn and what gets built. You receive full laser-measured surveys, physical material samples, and direct fabrication coordination.
01
Laser Survey & Site Constraints
We measure the room with 3D laser points: unlevel subfloors, radiator clearances, and tight stairwell turns are solved before a single board is milled.
02
Shop Drawings & Joinery Engineering
Every mortise, tenon, fastener, and wire chase is detailed in scale CAD drawings. You review joinery samples before timber selection.
03
Pilsen Shop Fabrication
We hand-select lumber for grain continuity. You receive weekly photo logs of milling, dry-fit assembly, and hand-rubbed oil finishing.
04
White-Glove Delivery & Scribe
Our studio leads the final install. We leave touch-up kits, finish schedules, and permanent maintenance documentation.
Studio Notes
Read All Notes → Field observations & technical essays.
Engineering August 14, 2026
Why We Knock Down: Engineering Large Tables for Walk-Ups
A deep dive into mechanical steel-to-timber fasteners that allow a 10-foot dining top to clear a 30-inch staircase without sacrificing structural stiffness.
Material Study July 02, 2026
Quarter-Sawn vs. Rift-Sawn White Oak: Stability in Midwest Humidity
Analyzing annual expansion rates in Chicago lakefront apartments and why grain orientation dictates internal frame joinery.
Shop Notes May 19, 2026
The Scribe Line: How to Fit Modern Millwork Against 19th-Century Plaster
Techniques for invisible edge scribing without bulky quarter-round molding or caulked seams.
Client Vault System
Live fabrication tracking for every commissioned project.
Clients and contracting partners receive dedicated portal credentials to download CAD drawing revisions, inspect weekly shop photography, approve hardware schedules, and track installation dates in real time.
PORTAL REPOSITORY: active_commissions
• Drawing Set: Rev-04_Humboldt_Oak.dwg
• Finish Schedule: Danish_Soap_Wash_v2.pdf
• Punchlist Status: 18/18 Items Cleared
Demo credentials provided on the login view.