In a world of self-assembled bookshelves, disposable coffee tables and next-day furniture delivery, a growing number of people are choosing a different path: investing in handcrafted furniture.
For consumers weary of replacing sagging sofas and wobbly dining sets that rarely survives a move, heirloom-quality craftsmanship offers an appealing alternative. While custom furniture often carries a higher price tag, advocates say the investment pays dividends in durability, beauty and longevity.
“We founded our business on the idea of providing furniture that lasts for generations,” says Mary Yoder of Amish Crafted Furniture in Tulsa. Since 2006, the family-owned business has connected customers with Amish-made furniture crafted from solid hardwoods such as white oak, maple, walnut, hickory and cherry.
Unlike many mass-produced pieces, Amish furniture relies on time-tested construction methods including mortise-and-tenon joints and dovetail joinery. The result is furniture sturdy enough to be passed from one generation to the next.
“Our craftsmen use old-world building techniques with 100% solid wood construction,” Yoder says. “Many of them are second-generation artisans who learned their craft from a young age.”
The difference is more than aesthetic. Solid hardwood furniture can often be repaired, refinished and restored decades after it is built. By contrast, much of today’s mass-market furniture is difficult – or impossible – to fix once damaged.
That’s one reason Oklahoma City furniture maker Matt Matulis believes consumers are beginning to reconsider what they bring into their homes.
“The biggest difference is really the quality of materials,” Matulis says. “A lot of stuff is made out of veneered particleboard. If it gets damaged, you can’t really repair it. It becomes throwaway furniture.”
Before becoming a full-time craftsman, Matulis spent more than a decade working in the oil and gas industry. Furniture making began almost accidentally when he decided to build a coffee table for his own home.
“It should have taken somebody who knew what they were doing a day,” he says. “It took me a week because I kept messing up. But during that time, I just got lost in it. Hours felt like minutes.”
What started as a weekend hobby gradually became a calling. Family members began requesting pieces of their own, and Matulis eventually apprenticed with master craftsman Billy Graber in Edmond to learn traditional woodworking techniques. Today, he operates a one-man shop, Matulis Works, creating custom furniture tailored to each client’s needs.
“What I truly love about building furniture is the customization,” he says. “Every project is different. Each one presents a new challenge.”
That personal connection is another advantage handcrafted furniture offers. Rather than purchasing an anonymous product from a warehouse, customers work directly with the artisan creating their piece. Another Oklahoma business emphasizing that hands-on approach is Urban Wood Co. in Oklahoma City, which offers custom furniture design as well as milling, slab flattening and kiln drying for homeowners, woodworkers and fellow craftsmen. By preparing locally sourced lumber and helping bring custom projects to life, the company supports both homeowners and fellow woodworkers looking to create furniture built to last.
“You create a connection with the person you’re building it for,” Matulis says. “There’s always that tie between us and that furniture for their lifetime —
and ideally much longer than that.”
For Yoder, customization is equally important to patron connection. Customers can choose dimensions, wood species, stains and fabrics to create furniture suited specifically to their homes.
The growing interest in craftsmanship also reflects a broader pushback against a culture of disposable goods. Just as consumers have become more conscious of fast fashion, many are questioning the environmental impact of “fast furniture” that ends up in landfills after only a few years of use.
Not everyone can afford a custom dining table or handcrafted bedroom suite, and both Yoder and Matulis acknowledge there will always be a place for budget-friendly furniture. But for those able to make the investment, the rewards can extend far beyond practicality.
A handcrafted table may host thousands of family meals. A solid wood dresser may serve several generations. Over time, furniture becomes more than a household object — it becomes part of a family’s story.
