Madera manufactures original, custom furniture and cabinetry for commercial and residential clients. We are a small, highly productive firm capable of taking on a wide array of projects from single stand-alone pieces to entire homes and office suites. Because of our integrity and our commitment to quality craftsmanship we promise our clients exceptional, long lasting value.
Introducing Madera Architectural Elements! For the last three years Gallery Madera, our showroom/gallery space has made a memorable impact within the Tacoma art scene. This past November the gallery evolved into a dynamic showroom featuring the work of 13 Pacific Northwest artisans creating original building components and furnishings! Find out more on our gallery page and below in our What’s Happening blog!
The Northwest Furniture Bank is hosting a fund raising auction on March 4 at the Tacoma Art Museum. Dubbed the Chair Affair, the event will be an auction of artfully embellished chairs from over 50 regional artists. Most participants started with old and worn out chairs and creatively decorated them in interesting and fun themes.
I, on the other hand, built a chair form some scraps laying around the shop. “Elroy’s Chair” is made from purple heart and a combination of poplar plywood and aircraft plywood.
After months of planning and anticipation the Grand Opening celebration for Madera Architectural Elements was a fabulous success! The turnout was great with well over 100 attendees. Thanks to everyone who came to show their support!
The MAE showroom is now open. Hours are usually Monday through Friday 11:00 - 3:00 and by appointment. Check out the MAE website for information on any of the participating artisans. If there is a particular artisan that you would like to meet, feel free to contact them to set up a personal showing.
For the past 3 years, Gallery Madera has showcased an amazing variety of original art from Tacoma’s creative. Twenty select shows have featured paintings, ceramics, glass, metal sculpture, contemporary furniture and more from well over 100 local and regional artists.Building upon this history as a popular venue for originality, the gallery will shift its focus this November from the work of artists to the creations of artisans and become the showroom for Madera Architectural Elements (MAE).MAE is a collective of Pacific Northwest artisans all of whom design and fabricate exceptional building components and furnishings. Members include: Ixia Tile – custom ceramic tile, Shape 3 – metalwork, Mindy Barker – mural and faux texture painting, Pacific Rim Tapestries – textile weaving, Turner Furniture – upholstery, Lynn DiNino – anything cement, Burnett Forge – artist blacksmith, Jennevieve Schlemmer - architectural mosaics, AlterEco Countertops – custom countertops, Steve Lawler – re-Furniture, Diane Roberts - stained/fused glass, Christopher Hoppin - green walls and Lucite lighting fixtures and, of course, Madera Fine Decorative Furnishings – furniture and cabinetry.
What we’re creating is one-stop-shopping location for all of your architectural element needs. Whether you’re a homeowner, designer or builder you’ll be able to visit MAE and see what is new and exciting in contemporary furnishings and artisan-made building components.
Join us Sunday November 22 from Noon - 5:00 for a gala opening celebration for Madera Architectural Elements.
We recently published a portfolio of completed furniture and casework projects. Entitled Creative Interior Solutions the book showcases a selection of Madera’s work ranging from small end tables to entire office suites. You can preview the book here - and even order your own copy, too!
Here is a short video of a built-in bookcase we recently completed.
The clients wanted to create a craft project / sewing room for the Mrs. and the Mr. had always wanted a super-secret hidden room! We built the unit across a long family room. The new room behind the wall unit even has it’s own bathroom and closet! Both center units slide apart. The engineering was a fun challenge and best of all, the clients LOVE it! And yes, Sofia is saying that she shot her brother - kids these days…
This Saturday Team Benchdog Regime will again take to the waters of Commencement Bay with the annual Quick and Dirty Boat Building Competition. We’ll get 4 sheets of 1/4″ plywood, 6 2 x 4s, 100 screws, 2 tubes of fast cure caulk, a mystery material and 6 hours to build a raceable boat!
For us this is a incredibly fun diversion and an entertaining way for us to take part in a great Tacoma community tradition. Check out the Maritime Festival Website! Some pics from 2008…
Anticipation levels have been high around here awaiting our next show. FLUX is our contribution to Tacoma’s summer-long celebration of the metal arts, Metal-Urge. We’ll be featuring the works of 7 talented artists: Christine Parent, Amy Reeves, Chris Spadafore, Danella Sydow, Jennifer Weddermann-Hay, Cynthia Wood and Chris Wooten. We’ll have free-standing sculptures, wall mounted works and jewelry. In addition, Steve and I will be showcasing a few new pieces of furniture with a nod to metal-urge. Wood meets metal.
9 months ago we started the design evaluations and estimating, 6 months ago we started producing shop drawings, 4 months ago we started manufacturing and 1 1/2 months ago we started with the install. Last week we finished! Have a look at our commercial furniture and casework project for the new offices of PCS Structural Solutions. Housed on the 7th floor of the newly refurbished Pacific Plaza Building (certified LEED Platinum) in downtown Tacoma, our portion of the project called for a stylish mix of laminated wood, painted panels and cabinets and fabricated steel. The interior design was done by McGranahan Architects. More photos will be place on the portfolio page!
We had been seeking a durable counter top material that we could offer our clients. With my limited experience working with solid surface materials (like Corian) I was sure they were best left to those who specialize in them. And of course stone was also best left to the pros! I have known about Richlite for many years but recently learned more about the expansion of their colors and their environmental commitment. After a bit more research it became clear that Richlite was to be the perfect solution for a high quality product with great design potential and it’s local! Then to seal the deal, a certification class was scheduled that I could actually attend.
So what is Richlite? It is essentially a rock hard laminated paper product. Only FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified papers are used as well as recycled papers and cardboard, too. These papers are saturated with a phenolic resin and the pressed - under extreme pressure - into sheets of various thicknesses. Richlite has been used industrially and commercially for over 30 years. Recently architects and designers have begun to appreciate Richlite for its versatility, durability and environmental attributes. The material has a natural appeal and matte finish that complement a variety of architectural styles.
Check out the Richlite website for information about their efficient manufacturing process and color palette. We have samples here in the shop. Soon we will have some example pieces in the gallery!
