“Trying to take Sunday off is nostalgic and cool.” The room was filled with bits and pieces of gorgeous wood: barn planks weathered from decades of humid Kentucky summers, single tree stumps, and collectible exotic woods destined for special projects yet unknown. This is the workshop of Andy Dugan, a local furniture crafter operating in the back of a Germantown warehouse that also serves as the swapping area for floral delivery trucks. The first thing, of many, that caught my eye was a coffee table, ingeniously outfitted with a drawer opening to both sides of the table. No hinges, metal bits, or breakable plastic fixtures – just a cleverly designed, functional table.
Bio:
Owner/operator of The Louisville Woodgoods Company since May of 2012
Age:
37
Location:
947 East Breckinridge Street, Suite D (near the Come Back Inn)
Contact:
louisvillewoodgoodsco@gmail.com
louisvillewoodgoods.com
facebook.com/TheLouisvilleWoodgoodsCoLlc
“That’s going to Chicago after I stain it once more,” said Dugan, though the table looked showroom ready.
Dugan has clients all around Louisville, as well as in Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. As the old saying goes, word of mouth is the best advertising. Many of his clients tell neighbors about the great workmanship and dependable service he provides.
“I delivered a table to one lady and had a job building a table for a lady two houses down the street,” said Dugan.
What sets Dugan’s pieces apart from your run-of-the-mill IKEA items or other store-bought furniture is that he puts his name on the craftsmanship.
“I think about myself when making pieces,” said Dugan. “‘Would I buy this?’ If not, it goes in my house. I only sell the pieces I can back 100 percent.”
Working in carpentry and construction for the better part of 15 years, Dugan began selling Adirondack furniture and porch swings as a hobby. This side gig eventually led to The Louisville Woodgoods Company opening in May of 2012. Dugan joked that the moment he knew the business was real was when the IRS wanted their share. His laidback nature can put anyone at ease. This is exactly the person you trust to build items that will be in your home for decades. Not only are his skills proven, but his ethical perspective toward re-using lumber and re-creating objects sets him apart from the crowd.
“I feel lucky I get to do what I like,” said Dugan, humble as pie and more talented than a boatload of contractors, though he is only a one-man show.
“I took stage crafting at U of L,” said Dugan about his initial entry into the field of wood crafting. “Worked on framing, cabinetry, decks, and outdoor furniture. It’s been my trade over the years and now I am at the point where I can do everything in-house – from design to milling the wood, construction, finishing, and installation, if needed.”
Dugan likes to keep the aesthetics simple and focus more on the materials.
“I usually know where all the lumber comes from for any given project,” said Dugan.
Practical furniture is his passion.
“[Cabinetry is] not quite as fun – a little more formulaic,” said Dugan.
Over the past month, Dugan has been extracting lumber from his grandfather’s barn with plans to create benches and tables from it. Imagine sitting down to dinner with family and friends at a table built from wood that once held together the family barn. Not too many things top that.
Focusing his energy at different points in the creation process allows Dugan to fine tune each step of the woodworking project.
“Since Christmas, I have been experimenting with different finishing techniques,” said Dugan. “When I find inspiration in certain pieces I try to replicate it and improve upon it.”
One of his favorite recent pieces is a set of bookcases that he built around a fireplace for a client. According to Dugan, it takes an average of two to four weeks to get a customized piece.
“We first settle on the material and price,” said Dugan. “I always charge less if I have the material on-hand already. If not, I try to get it from local distributors, auctions, farmers who have their own kilns, or ZeroLandfill Louisville.”
ZeroLandfill is a national project with sites in cities around the country, all with the objective of recycling and upcycling.
“Architects, engineers, builders, and interior designers donate out-of-date products and samples,” said Dugan about ZeroLandfill Louisville. “The once-a-year event is free and open to the public. A lot of teachers can score materials for the classroom. I get materials for projects.”
Dugan’s goals for the future include using lumber from naturally felled trees, essentially extending the life of the tree. Ultimately, he plans to build solar kilns to dry the moisture from lumber more quickly than air drying.
Despite being involved in every step of the process for every item made at The Louisville Woodgoods Company, Dugan still finds time to do the things he enjoys outside of work, such as camping and spending time in the outdoors. When his custom orders slow down, he uses this time to stay ahead on other projects.
“Trying to take Sunday off is nostalgic and cool,” said Dugan about managing his work schedule.
The next time you are in the market for a new piece of furniture, contact Dugan first. We support local in so many aspects of our life because certain items are intrinsically associated with location: local produce, local restaurant, local newspaper. Think outside the box of the pre-made Target table and support the knowledge and the creativity required to truly craft furniture.
For reporting purposes, I should ‘fess up that, impressed by his skills and quality pieces, I purchased two items from Dugan following our interviews. He crafted custom nesting tables for my limited space Germantown home, as well as a walnut wine rack and wine glass shelf. The guy is good. When I left, Dugan sent me on my way with a wood crayon matched perfectly to my shelf so that I can fill in any nicks or drill holes that may occur while mounting on the wall. In case you continue to rock the hand-me-downs of relatives or haven’t recently purchased furniture, this is most certainly not the norm of furniture builders.
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