When Jeff Smith and Shayn Smith met a decade ago, they discovered they had more than a surname in common. Over the following year, the two highly skilled woodworking artisans collaborated on several projects and found they shared a similar passion for their craft. It seemed a natural next step to combine their talents by launching a fine woodworking company, which they called SmithMade.
With a mix of nationwide residential and corporate clients, the Shelby Township-based business offers luxury custom furniture, cabinetry, and decorative surfaces. SmithMade’s unique specialty is custom veneer designs — an art form known as marquetry. Among their many upscale projects, the duo has created artful staircases, fireplace surrounds, and wall panels, as well as intricately patterned wood flooring.
SmithMade recently began focusing on customized engineered wood dining tables with artisan metal bases made by Mark Newman of Metal Mind Fabrication in Marine City. The tables range in price from $3,500-$6,000 and are offered in a selection of designs, shapes, sizes, and wood options for a custom look and feel.
“We often work in partnership with other companies or designers and the client,” Shayn Smith says. “We get to know the clients as individuals and find out what really matters or is interesting to them, so we can bring it into the design.”
Adds Jeff Smith: “Whatever a client can imagine, we can create. We like challenges. We take the time, do the research, and feed off each other. It’s important to be open to what’s possible (so we can) create meaningful pieces. We (make) 3-D drawings to give the client a clear description of the project, but we want the finished product to be even better
and have a connection.”
Their designs range from refined rustic to sleek modern, and the partners work with a variety of domestic and exotic woods including walnut burl, hickory, and African wenge. Depending on the vision for a project, it might incorporate luxurious elements such as leather, jade, abalone, or sterling silver. They can also add lighting elements to furniture items. Many of SmithMade’s exclusive furniture pieces will become family heirlooms.
“I enjoy designing specific things for specific people, and the artistic freedom that comes with each project,” Shayn explains. “I love working with different materials. In custom work, it’s always the little details that make it special.”
SmithMade recently fabricated a bourbon barrel coffee table for a bourbon tasting room in a Macomb County home on Cusick Lake. “We researched what it requires to make bourbon and an authentic bourbon table,” Jeff says. “To make it special, we added an amber-colored glass top with integrated LED lighting inside the barrel.”
The partners have worked on many memorable commercial projects, including statement tabletops for New Orleans’ Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In a collaboration with Detroit-based design studio Pophouse, the artists fashioned distinctive wood panels for the Compuware Building in Detroit. They also recently collaborated with George P. Johnson to produce a floating front desk for the north lobby of General Motors’ Design Center in Warren.
SmithMade has also produced custom woodwork for luxury yachts and private planes — which, according to the partners, requires very precise specifications, ultralight panels, and special adhesives.
Jeff and Shayn reveal that since time is their biggest challenge in producing pieces that meet their high standard of craftmanship, they’ve expanded their collaborations with other select companies to reduce production times. “We’ve also focused on upgrading and automating our shop to refine our process and become more efficient,” Jeff says.
“(We get a sense of) satisfaction from (giving) the client a one-of-a-kind piece with a meaningful story as a legacy. It’s something that will be in their family for generations to come,” he adds.
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