Welcome!
My name is Michael Pekovich.
Mike, actually.
I am a furniture maker, not a factory.
I like making things out of wood. It's an incredible material and a renewable resource. That's good. It's strong, but light for it's strength. It can be polished to a glass finish. It's actually a translucent material, so when finished properly, it has an incredible depth and luminosity.
But wood is a pain for manufacturers to deal with. It's an organic substance. It's not something you can squeeze out of a tube. That's why there's less and less solid-wood furniture being made.
Unfortunately, the true beauty of wood is most often masked with stains and glossy finishes designed to hide the randomly matched, poor quality lumber that goes into mass-produced furniture. That's why we think of furniture as just kind of there, if we notice it at all.
But a well-made piece of furniture is more than that. It's a companion, adding just a little to the quality of your life every time you sit down for breakfast or put away the socks and underwear. The warm glow and smooth finish inviting to the touch. A sturdy, well-fit drawer that slides smoothly without sticking or rattling. Small things that add up to a big difference in the long run, over a lifetime and beyond, bridging generations as a piece is handed down along with its memories.
For me, making furniture is a connection to the wood, but also a connection to people. I like making things, but I like it more knowing they will find a use in a good home.