About

We build a small number of pieces a year, for a small number of people

SS Custom Furniture is a private atelier in Los Angeles. We design and build furniture by commission (sofas, tables, beds, casegoods) for a short list of clients in California and abroad.

Every piece is drawn for the room it will live in and built by a single maker from start to finish. We don't keep a catalogue, and we don't take on production work. What we make is meant to last several lifetimes and to be repaired, never replaced.

We're discreet about who we work with. References available on request, in person.

Process

From a first conversation to a piece in the room

Most commissions take three to six months from first meeting to final install. We move at the pace of the project, not a calendar.

Conversation

We meet at your residence or our studio, walk the space, and listen. Most projects begin without a clear brief. That's by design.

Study

A hand-drawn proposal: silhouette, scale, materials, joinery. Two or three options at most. Revised in person, never by email thread.

Build

A single maker is assigned to your piece for its full duration. Hardwood is chosen one board at a time. Most commissions take eight to sixteen weeks.

Install

We deliver, install, and stay long enough to make sure the piece sits the way it was drawn. Care notes and a service record arrive a week later.

Craft

A short list of materials, used well

We don't work with anything we can't repair on site. Wood is solid, hardware is metal, finishes are mixed by hand from things you could name.

Upholstered headboard in patterned linen, with maple bench at the foot of the bed

Featured · Master suite, Pasadena

Upholstered headboard, maple bench

A ten-foot headboard wrapped in a hand-blocked linen, paired with a saddle-leather bench in figured maple. Built over fourteen weeks.

Hardwoods

Walnut, white oak, cherry, ash

Stock is sourced from a handful of mills we've worked with for years. Boards are selected by hand for grain match and color before any cut is made.

Joinery

Mortise and tenon, hand-cut dovetails

We don't use pocket screws or hidden fasteners on visible work. Joints are designed to outlast the finish, and the finish is designed to be refreshed.

Finishes

Hand-rubbed oil and wax

Penetrating oils and natural waxes mixed in our shop. They develop with use and can be restored on site rather than refinished.

Hardware

Solid brass and bronze, made to order

Pulls, hinges, and brackets are forged or cast for the piece. We work with two foundries in California.

Selected Work