Keith Raivo

Keith Raivo Designs

"We go through cycles every year, just like the seasons."

Spring is inspiring: a time to create new designs and experiment. Summer and fall mean work, putting in long hours in the wood-shop, being charged with energy. By the time winter arrives, it's time for a break. And the cycle begins again.

During the working seasons, piles of domestic hardwoods fill the shop. Oak, elm, walnut, ash and cherry are cut into thin planks and sorted. Only boards with straight grain and no defects find their way into the weave, made flexible with steam or water soaking. Everything is held together with square-shanked, copper nails - the kind used for wooden boat construction. The process isn't easy; it's also never boring. And the end results are as functional as they are durable.