4 Colorado Furniture Makers Who Create High-Quality Pieces
See the fine craftsmanship from these Colorado furniture makers
Salida furniture maker Kent Townsend of Kent Townsend Fine Furniture is influenced by the art deco style. His aesthetically pleasing and unique furniture designs are one of a kind. | Photo by Tim Brown
KENT TOWNSEND FINE FURNITURE
Kent Townsend Fine Furniture | Photo by Tim Brown
Incorporating art deco stylings into his work is enjoyable for highly skilled furniture maker Kent Townsend, of Kent Townsend Fine Furniture in Salida. “I enjoy its refined form and technical nature,” he says. Townsend also enjoys creating unique nature-inspired functional furniture pieces that are aesthetically pleasing.
Townsend’s journey into cabinet-making techniques and hand skills started at the College of the Redwoods in Northern California. He continued his education at Cappellaga ̊rden in Sweden, where he further developed a sense of materials, form and composition. These days, Townsend uses his hands to curate high-end, one-of-a-kind furniture. “I enjoy the challenge of complex design; the uncertainty that goes along with this type of work and how completely involved I have to be,” he explains. “My goal is to create works that are made to the highest level of my ability.”
ALPINE BLUE HOME
Alpine Blue Home
Locally sourced Colorado wood is the star material used by Alpine Blue Home. The company prides itself on combining wood, metal and other elements to create unique organic furniture, all made by hand in its local workshop. “Our style has been described as rustic, contemporary, mountain, urban, mid-mod, with a bit of a Scandinavian influence,” Amy Golenz of Alpine Blue Home says.
One of the store’s top sellers: a live-edge dining table featuring homegrown Colorado timber. Wood species commonly used to create the one-of-a-kind furniture pieces include beetlekill pine, elm and honey locust varieties. The furniture designs are driven by the natural shape and character of the wood. “We like to work with wood that has character. We embrace imperfections. We also like to make the custom-designed furniture process approachable,” says Golenz. “We truly believe in our tagline: Colorado Wood, Colorado Made, Colorado Style.”
BOULDER FURNITURE ARTS
Boulder Furniture Arts | Photo by Hannah Rogal
The creative team at Boulder Furniture Arts understands that every home is different. The company enjoys curating highly personalized furniture pieces that advance the fine art of design while honoring timeless tenets of craftsmanship. “Clients enjoy a full-service experience at BFA with holistic design, specialized master craftsmanship and unlimited personalization,” explains Hannah Rogal, director of design and BFA co-owner.
The process of crafting a custom furniture piece begins in the studio. Clients co-design with the five classically trained woodworkers who bring their vision to life. “Together, in a deliberate and cooperative process, we develop meaningful objects that connect you with the woods,” the company’s website states.
That connection to the woods and passion for sustainability are important to the nine-member Boulder Furniture Arts creative team, who have served the Denver area for nearly 40 years. Notes Rogal, “BFA is the old-school furniture maker connecting ideas and objects with people. We co-design with our clients to produce clean, simple furniture with staying power.”
ANIMAS CRAFT WOODWORKS
Animas Craft Woodworks | Photo courtesy Animas Craft Woodworks
Building high-quality cabinetry, built-ins and furniture is a passion for master woodworker Noah Arvidson, of Animas Craft Woodworks in Durango. He coaxes furnishings from raw materials in his 2,000-square-foot production facility, creating pieces with lines and shapes that have constant movement and vibrancy to them. “We use state-of-the-art in-house equipment, like a computer numerical control machine for precise cabinetry work, and age-old woodworking techniques for hand assembly that yield customizable, artisan-quality products that simply cannot be found in big-box stores,” Arvidson explains.
One of the shop’s specialties is building library walls. Both functional and aesthetically pleasing, they’re used to store books and showcase decorative pieces. “These library walls are a great way to increase storage in the home while creating visual excitement,” says Arvidson. “The design process for these big projects is a fun, collaborative experience between Animas Craft Woodworks and the client.”
