Visit a Furniture Workshop That Rebuilds Lives
Hand-crafted furniture often made from reclaimed materials isn't the only beautiful part of this Atlanta shop
Brian Preston, founder of furniture workshop Lamon Luther, thinks there’s a parallel between the craftspeople at his workshop and the furniture they make. “We often use salvaged metal or reclaimed wood from an old barn, wood scraps that many don’t even attempt to recycle," though they still have a lot of value, he says. "Our guys were also society's castoffs until they went on this transformative path."
Transformation happens daily at this workshop in Atlanta, Georgia. "We sometimes buy from the local demolition guys, too," Preston says. "I like that the craftsmen can make something tangible and functional for other people, and that at the end of the process they can take a step back and see this beautiful finished product that they’ve made with their own hands.”
Transformation happens daily at this workshop in Atlanta, Georgia. "We sometimes buy from the local demolition guys, too," Preston says. "I like that the craftsmen can make something tangible and functional for other people, and that at the end of the process they can take a step back and see this beautiful finished product that they’ve made with their own hands.”
Preston's home showcases many of the shop's mock-ups, this petite sideboard included. "I'm the only designer at this point, but pretty soon we'll have to hire more designers," he says.
This industrial bench and wood pallet artwork are one-offs. Preston found the bench legs in a landfill. "Most of the mock-ups and furniture around the house were going to end up in the garbage," he says.
TC and Scott, working here on storage units, were Preston's first few hires. Both lived in the same homeless community in the woods until Preston asked them to join him doing odds-and-ends jobs around town.
"Orders started trickling in for custom furniture pieces, and pretty soon I had to hire more people for the commercial jobs," says Preston.
Preston's mission isn't about handouts. "These guys wanted jobs," he says. "They wanted to go back to doing what they were doing before they lost their jobs as carpenters, builders and home remodelers."
"Orders started trickling in for custom furniture pieces, and pretty soon I had to hire more people for the commercial jobs," says Preston.
Preston's mission isn't about handouts. "These guys wanted jobs," he says. "They wanted to go back to doing what they were doing before they lost their jobs as carpenters, builders and home remodelers."
Like thousands of people across the country, craftspeople were hit hard by the flailing real estate market, which crashed in 2007. Stripped of their carpentry and construction jobs, many found themselves unemployed and homeless. But "they're some of the hardest-working craftsmen I've ever worked with," Preston says.
The wood pallets used at the shop go through a lengthy repurposing process. The craftspeople look for wood with patina — something you don't normally find at your local home improvement store.
Here, a wood pallet wall adds warmth to Preston's light-filled living room. "Our coffee table will be in about 20 retail locations by next year," he says. The rustic-industrial piece came together when Barry, a craftsman, revealed his welding skills to Preston.
Barry is now the workshop's metal expert. "It's cool to see him really find his niche," he says.
"Not many people think about their furniture as a catalyst for change. It's nice to know that the guys have a hand at making something that gives someone great pleasure in their own house. Sure, they're building stuff, but they're also rebuilding their lives."
