I build with wood that already has a story.
reclaimed wood · made by hand · 1000 Parker St, Vancouver
Most of the wood I work with was on its way to the bin. Grey, split, full of nail holes. Somebody was finished with it.
I wasn't.
Run a plane over an old board and the grey comes off in curls. Underneath, the colour is still there, as if the wood had been waiting for someone to notice.
planed
See? The colour was there all along.
That moment is why I do this. Every board I bring back is one less in a landfill or a fire, and one more piece in someone's home with a real story behind it.
dry wood is about half carbon. keep the board in use and the carbon stays put.
That crate crossed an ocean. That plank held something up for decades. Every nail hole, stencil, saw mark and sun stain is part of its story.
I sand just enough to make it smooth and safe, and leave the rest so you can still read where it's been. You're not buying something new. You're keeping something going.
“Wouldn't you rather own a piece of history than a piece of flat‑pack?”
1000 Parker St.
built 1916
My studio is in 1000 Parker, a maze of old wood, brick and concrete beside the rail tracks in Strathcona. Its oldest wing went up in 1916 for a furniture company. A century later, furniture is still made here.
The building got a second life too. Maybe that's why it feels like home.
visits by appointment. email me first
Every piece is one of a kind. Ask what's on the bench right now, and what it costs.
Tell me about the piece you have in mind, or the boards you can't bear to throw out.
hello@madebymartin.ca1000 Parker Street, Vancouver · visits by appointment
