Our team is comprised of craftspeople, designers, sales team members and other roles that create beautiful furniture that brings customers joy. These folks are an integral part of your customer experience and we appreciate sharing their stories. This month, we bring you David, the longest-tenured member of our Sales Team, who has been with us since 2012.
David’s appreciation for design was nurtured from a young age at Hesston Business interiors, his father’s office furniture dealership in Kansas. Surrounded by sleek desks and other furniture that David helped sell, he learned the intricacies of form and function.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in interior design from Kansas State University, David moved to Portland, drawn by its vibrant arts scene. Initially he worked in home construction and painting, using his design knowledge to help homeowners create beautiful spaces. But he yearned for a more personal connection, something that would bridge his passion for design with the stories of others.
Learning about The Joinery through a connection at Collins Companies – one of our longtime lumber partners – felt serendipitous. “Beautiful design, environmental performance, and local sourcing,” he recollected, envisioning a place where craftsmanship thrived — and where each piece of furniture told a story.
Joining our team was a perfect match. David thrives on creating unique, custom designs that resonate with clients’ needs. “I love hearing the backstories from clients,” he said with a warm smile. Each project became a collaboration, turning visions into reality. And David is personally very committed in his personal life to reducing environmental impacts, so our business practices resonated.
With all of the projects David has been a part of over his 12 years with The Joinery it was hard to choose a favorite, but when pressed he mentioned a custom dining table from several years back: a stunning live-edge Western Walnut top with a custom Pacific base. During the course of the design process, the customers shared their family history — a legacy of gathering around handcrafted pieces. David felt honored to be part of that tradition, creating something that would last for generations.
In general David has enjoys working on projects involving desks, bed frames, custom dressers and live edge pieces, and has developed dozens of unique projects in each over the years. He enjoys designing custom configurations that speak to individual needs, striving to create ongoing experiences rather than just furniture.
Outside the workshop, David’s creativity extends to his own art studio, where he creates wonderful paintings. He also loves dancing at the Laurelhurst Public House and collecting baseball cards as a nostalgic pastime. Hiking through dense Portland forests rejuvenates him, inspiring his work with the beauty of nature.
At The Joinery, he found a family of artisans dedicated to preserving the art of furniture-making—one handcrafted piece at a time.