How It's Made — ref.

Gatineau, QC — Canada

How
it's
made.

Every ref. piece begins as a raw board and ends as something that outlasts the house it lives in. This is what happens in between.

5

01

Wood selection

02

Milling & preparation

03

Joinery & assembly

04

Sanding & finishing

05

Quality & shipping

"We don't build furniture to fill a room. We build pieces that earn a permanent place in it."

— ref., Gatineau

01

Wood selection

Every board is
chosen by hand.

We source Grade A solid hardwoods exclusively from North American forests — black walnut, white oak, and hard maple. No two boards are the same, and we don't treat them as if they are. Each piece of wood is selected for its grain character, density, and long-term stability before it ever enters our workshop.

Black walnut · White oak · Hard maple
North American origin · Selected board by board

02

Milling & preparation

The wood is prepared
before anything is cut.

Boards are acclimated to our workshop environment, then milled to precise dimensions. Solid wood is used throughout wherever the design allows it. Where a form calls for curves or complex geometry — a rounded leg, a curved profile — we use select veneer. Not as a shortcut, but because it performs better and holds its shape longer in those specific applications.

Solid wood primary construction
Select veneer on curved or complex forms only

Joinery and assembly
03

Joinery & assembly

Joints built
to last a generation.

We use traditional joinery — mortise and tenon, dovetail, dowel — reinforced with modern precision. No cam locks, no flat-pack compromise. The structure of each piece is engineered for the long term: rigid where it needs to hold, flexible enough to move naturally with the wood as seasons change.

Traditional joinery methods
CNC precision · Hand-fitted and assembled

Sanding and finishing
04

Sanding & finishing

The finish is
what you feel first.

Every surface is hand-sanded through progressive grits before finishing. We use low-VOC oils and lacquers that protect the wood without masking it. The grain stays alive. The texture stays honest. Over time, the finish develops a patina that only adds to the piece — it ages the way wood should.

Low-VOC oil and lacquer options
Hand-sanded to 220 grit · Field-repairable finish

Quality control and shipping
05

Quality & shipping

It leaves when
it's ready.

Quality control happens throughout the build — not just at the end. By the time a piece is ready to ship, it has passed through multiple sets of hands and eyes. Most ref. pieces ship fully assembled. We ship across Canada and to the US tariff-free. For customers within 50 km of our Gatineau workshop, we offer white glove delivery — brought in, placed, packaging removed. Beyond that, everything ships LTL freight, fully crated for protection in transit.

Multiple QC checkpoints throughout production · Fully assembled in most cases · White glove delivery within 50 km of Gatineau · LTL crated shipping across Canada and to the US tariff-free · 10-year warranty

Our hardwoods

Grade A.
North American.
Selected by hand.

Black Walnut

Eastern North America

Rich chocolate tones with a straight, open grain. One of the most prized North American hardwoods — dense, stable, and visually arresting. Deepens beautifully with age and light exposure.

White Oak

White Oak

Eastern North America

A warm golden tone with prominent medullary ray flecks. Exceptionally hard and resistant to moisture — historically used in barrels and boat construction. The Japandi staple for good reason.

Hard Maple

Canadian Shield

The lightest of our three woods — creamy white with a subtle, consistent grain. Exceptionally hard and wear-resistant, making it ideal for dining surfaces and pieces that see daily use.

The ref. standard

Built to
be passed
down.

10

Year warranty

Every piece we ship is covered for a decade — structural integrity, finish, mechanism. Read our warranty policy →

0

US tariffs

We ship tariff-free to the United States. The price you see is the price you pay, regardless of where you live.

1

Workshop

Everything is made in Gatineau, QC. One team, one standard. No mass-producing, no flat-packs.

Made to order

We don't hold inventory. Your piece is made when you order it — for your space, your wood choice, your dimensions.

ref.

Ready to order
yours?

Made to order. Shipped when it's ready.
Questions welcome — we respond personally.