Custom, Handcrafted Cabinets

We craft the finest custom cabinets (kitchen, bath, den/study, etc.) using fine solid wood and hardwoods. We can work directly with you, the customer, or through your designer. The cabinets are custom fitted to your space and your needs and desires. Each cabinet is handmade individually, not on a production line. Our craftsmen have the experience and skills to create beautiful and highly functional additions to your home.

William Simpson - Cabinet Maker

William Simpson is a bit of an enigma. Born in historic Charleston, S.C., he was personally trained as a cabinet maker by his father from the time he was about 8 years old. As a result of his natural ability, he quickly became one of the company's top craftsmen at a very young age. Then in his early 20's, after being influenced by the beautiful old Architecture of his home town, he followed his dream and earned an architectural design degree from Clemson University in South Carolina. After graduating, he went on to work for an Architectural firm in Atlanta, GA. From a craftsman in a cabinet shop, he moved into the highly creative field of modern high rise Architectural design, working for one of Atlanta's top Architects. Despite living in an exciting metropolitan city and working on high end condos and office buildings, he remained a craftsman at heart. And ultimately, within a couple years, he found his love was in design and woodworking, not architecture.

That was the beginning of a lifetime of work as a designer/craftsman. Design training combined with the hands on skills of a woodworker gave him the ability to design with a greater understanding of the materials and how they are joined. And after all, that is the essence of any structure, material and joinery. Designing with the intimate knowledge of the material, specifically the feel, the texture, the warmth of wood, allowed him to design works that had more depth and character than others without that experience. Along the way, he became interested in art glass and together with his wife, ran a very successful leaded and stained glass business in Atlanta, GA for many years. While there, he set up a millwork operation for the company building mahogany doors and entryways for high end homes. In the end, it proved to be a good marriage, mahogany doors and beveled glass panels. Because of that success, they designed and built hundreds of beautiful entryways for homes all over Georgia.

Throughout his various "travels", he found himself coming back to designing furniture as his primary love. "I always loved designing furniture. It fit well with what I loved about architecture as a functional art form. But unlike architecture, furniture is far more intimately involved with the individual and his or her life. While architecture is often designed to solve the problems of many, a single piece of furniture can and should be designed for a smaller group, like a family, or even just one individual. That is what I love most, an individual piece designed specifically for one client. When we create at this level, we're not making it for the masses, we're making it personal."

Cabinetry - What You Can Expect

Because we enjoy woodworking and never want to become a mass production factory, you will find we are easy to reach and easy to talk to about your needs. For us, it's personal. We never have so many projects going at the same time that we don't have time for a client. We like knowing who we are working for so you will never be referred to as "job number 32743".

That is what is most important. In our view, the client has entrusted us with the single largest expenditure they will probably make concerning their home interior, a new or remodeled kitchen. This is no small responsibility. And we respect that and accept the responsibility with honesty and care.

We use only high grade materials and constantly track the latest trends and even study older construction techniques to maintain a high level of craftsmanship.

Recently, on a suggestion from Richard, William started including a very clever addition to each of his cabinets. Unfortunately, you'll have to buy one to find out about it since it's a secret he only shares with the client personally after the cabinets are delivered. You may be able to find out for yourself... if you know one of their clients and if they choose to share the secret.

So if this sounds like the type of experience you expect from your cabinet maker, call us and let's talk about the possibilities.

Cabinetry Standards

What we DO:

We use only hardwood doors and drawer fronts and face frames.

We use concealed pocket screws and glue to build our face frames so they remain strong and square.

We use domestic plywood for its quality and consistency.

We use 1/2" plywood backs in our upper cabinets for better support since those cabinets are essentially hanging on the wall with no other support except what the back of the cabinet can support.

We use dados in the sides of the upper cabinets for the top and bottom shelves to give more strength to the cabinet. We also dado the face frames into the cabinet boxes so they are structurally more stable.

We can either provide adjustable shelves or can make the shelves fixed. Adjustable shelves are made of solid wood with eased edges front and back.

We use concealed European style hinges and high quality drawer slides. You can choose from a standard side mounted European style drawer slide, a full extension side mounted slide rated to 100 pounds, or a top of the line bottom mounted soft close slide.

We use solid wood drawer boxes dovetailed on all four corners.

Our cabinets are finished inside and out using pre-catalyzed lacquer for a high quality finish. Interiors are finished in natural unless otherwise requested. Exteriors are whatever the client desires, paint, stain, glazing, brushed glazing, distressed. We will even build cabinets without finish if you choose to finish them yourself or have your own finisher.

Instead of making a lot of small boxes, we make our cabinets as long as possible, up to 8'-0". This is better for several reasons. First, it makes the cabinet more structurally sound and makes for far less joints in the face of the cabinet. It creates more useable space on the interior and gives the designer far more flexibility. And it makes it much easier on the installer since it is only one cabinet where it might usually be 3 or 4 individual cabinet units.

With "custom" cabinets, you are free to design and build nearly any configuration. You are not limited by a standard factory process. We use our standards to maintain structural integrity but they can be used with nearly any design or style.

These are not all of our standards but should give a good idea of our intentions. We want to build cabinets that last. We don't want a client calling 3 years from now asking why the floor under his sink is deteriorating after a little leak from his sink! A cabinet made from particle board will do just that, quality plywood will not.

We make sure on the front end that our cabinets will remain as beautiful as they were the day they were installed.


What we DON'T do...

We don't use ANY particle board or MDF(medium density fiberboard). These are sheet goods that are made from either sawdust and chips in the case of particle board or paper products in the case of MDF. They are then pressed together with glue to make it into one stable panel. Both are typically straight and flat and therefore are easier to mill and process. They are also used as a substitute for vinyl and veneer coverings. They have one big drawback which is that they don't tolerate water or moisture. When these products get wet, they swell, sometimes dramatically. Once they have gotten wet, they will not return to the original thickness and will further deteriorate over time. Hardwood and domestic plywood does not react to water or moisture in the same way and even after getting wet, they will return to their original size.

We don't use any imported plywood simply because in our experience, it is not as high in quality as domestic plywood. Imported plywood is not as well made and has voids in the inner plies. It is also not as straight and flat as domestic plywood, but it is usually less than 1/2 half the price of domestic so it is an option for economy minded cabinet makers.

We don't use 1/4" plywood for our flat panel doors, we use only 3/8" solid wood in those doors since it feels and sounds better and of course, looks far better.

We don't use hot melt glue, we only use Tightbond II Premium wood glue for it's strength and holding power. It is made specifically for use with wood, not hobby projects like hot melt glue.

So if this sounds like the type of experience you expect from your cabinet maker, call us and let's talk about the possibilities.

Recommendations on Caring for Your New Custom Cabinets

You have just invested financially and from your heart in your custom cabinetry and with care they will serve you well for many years to come.



WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

Always use a soft cotton cloth when cleaning your cabinetry whether it be routine cleaning or cleaning up a spill.

With a spill, usually a cloth dampened with a little warm water will be adequate. If more is needed the best thing is a small amount of dishwashing liquid mixed with warm water.

Something to keep in mind – strong cleaning products can damage or discolor your cabinet finish and we don’t recommend them. In addition, cleaning up any food, water, grease spatters or other liquids that spill should be done right away. Not being attentive to this could cause permanent discoloring or damage to the finish.

After cleaning a spatter or spill, take a clean damp cotton cloth and wipe down all surfaces and then using another clean dry cloth dry the surfaces right away.

When cleaning glass windows, always spray the ammonia free glass cleaning products on a soft cotton cloth and then apply to glass to clean it.



WHAT YOU SHOULD AVOID

Chemical cleaners of any kind such as silicone based polishing, cleaning or waxing products.

Ammonia based cleaning products or any cleaning products containing bleach.

Any solvent or petroleum products like paint thinners or mineral spirits.

Any abrasive cleaners, scouring powder and pads and steel wool.

Even avoid your sponges or dish cloths. You may have just wiped a counter top with them and they may contain a trace of food or oil that could damage your finish.

Any packaged dusting sheets or spray on cleaning and dusting products.

Any waxing or polishing products. Over time discoloration and streaking can occur along with a build up of wax that is difficult to remove.

Avoid spraying any glass cleaner directly on the window as seepage could occur and cause damage.

Keep in mind that the natural sunlight will tend to darken and change the color of any natural wood products and can fade painted surfaces. Consider blinds or curtains when the sun shines in on the cabinets.