Green Furniture Fit for a King

Michael Palace, 55, studied art and design in college and began his career as a watercolor and pastel artist. 

Despite the success he had, he soon realized how difficult it would be to make a living off his paintings so he learned a trade.

He worked as a carpenter and then got his contractor’s license and has done custom remodeling work for over 20 years.  His construction career opened his eyes to the excessive waste of materials that is a common practice in the industry. He started saving discarded wood paneling, beams, and trees taken out to clear land.

Palace uses this “saved” wood and his design experience to create eco-friendly custom-designed furniture.

“People believe that wood must come from exotic locales to be special or valuable.  I use local trees that are “saved” from farms and neighborhoods to make socially beneficial and amazingly beautiful art quality furniture,” said Palace.

Palace spends a lot of his time collecting wood, the majority of which he finds less than 100 miles from his studio on Arnold Drive. He even collects agricultural waste such hop props, prune boxes and water tanks. This allows him to minimize his footprint on the environment.

“Sometimes wood delivers itself to me,” said Palace. “The other day, a guy came by with a load of beautiful walnut.  He’d been saving it in his garage for decades and never got around to using it so he decided to give it to me.”

The front entrance to Palace’s furniture studio is piled high with oak, walnut, redwood and madrone that he has custom sawn and stacked to dry. It can take up to 3 years to air-dry lumber and bring down the moisture content to a level acceptable to build with.

Inside his studio are beautiful desks, bed frames, chests of drawers, chairs and tables. His designs exhibit simplicity and directness intended to show off the beauty of the wood with grain patterns and colors that can’t been seen in most furniture stores or lumber yards.  And, Palace often incorporates design elements like a drawer pull or a cross-brace made from a branch to remind us of the natural tree form.

“People value quality furniture when they see it,” said Palace, “but they aren’t aware of how much time goes into making it when you’re starting with a fallen tree.”

Palace uses very few nails or screws in his furniture. Instead he uses mortise and tenon joints, dovetail drawers and doweled jambs; all time-honored techniques that make furniture sturdy enough to last for generations.

According to Palace, nearly 80% of the planets hardwoods are being cut down to manufacture cheap furniture than won’t last. Palace feels there is plenty of saved wood that can be reused to create heirloom-quality furniture.

“My responsibility as a furniture maker is to be mindful in the use of our natural resources so that what is made can last long enough to allow the next generation of forests to grow.”

To purchase a unique piece contact Michael Palace at 707-815-5657, or via email at michaelpalace@mac.net.