Kirkpatrick Woodworks

I have been self-employed as a furniture maker since 1977. I grew up in Chapel Hill and have lived here except for my time away at college. I attended Brown University and was graduated from there in 1975. I am largely self-taught as a woodworker. Most of what I build is custom furniture. I like building custom furniture because each piece is different and presents its own challenges. With the challenges come the solutions. The solutions often involve a complex interplay amongst aesthetics, the function and affordability. People come to me with some idea of what they want. It may as specific as “Here is a picture of what I want, Can you build it for me?” or as undefined as “I want a bed and I don’t have any idea about how I want it to look.” We then develop and refine the design together. Once we determine the design, I come up with a price to build it. I like to involve my clients in the design process. This insures that they get a piece of furniture which suites them and their needs and also gives them a sense of ownership of the piece.