I was excited last summer when my uncle Joe called and said he wanted to surprise my aunt Megan with a new bed for Christmas. He explained that they had inherited a set of heirloom dressers and nightstands from Megan’s parents and that he wanted a headboard of matching quality. Joe’s only request was that the bed be distinctly my design and complement the existing furniture. The design process took three months as Joe had to hide our discussions from Megan. By the end of October we had finalized our design: a shaker style pencil post bed made from Cherry Wood.

I completed the bed at the end of November and delivered the bed two weeks before Christmas. Joe concocted an elaborate story as to why I was driving from Milwaukee to saint louis for a night and Megan was quite surprised when I pulled into the driveway with a new bed.

Things got exciting when we realized the bed would not make it up the stairs. To get the bed into the master bedroom we hoisted the head board over a second story balcony. The rest of the setup went smoothly and most important Megan loved it.

Joe and Megan were one of my first clients, long before Sustar Woodworks was even an idea. Spending time at their house gave me the rare chance to examine a set of end tables I had built 9 years earlier. And although I cringed at some of the details, the tables have held up well against the daily use of a family of seven.