Franjo Katic is simply one of the most talented furniture artist and craftsman on the planet. There are numerous woodworkers and cabinet makers out there doing excellent work, but Franjo is in a league of his own...hand selecting every piece of rough lumber and painstakingly executing the most complicated details with the precision of a swiss jeweler. He has a rare talent for scale, proportion, aesthetics, grain, color, texture, and the artistic contrast required to turn any piece of furniture into a work of art. He also has an extremely talented group of furniture makers and craftsmen in his shop, each working with precision under his watchful eye. His extensive shop filled with exotic woods and prototype pieces has the feel of an old-school artist studio, as his goal is obviously artistic perfection and not mass production. In 2015 my wife and I (both designers) handed Franjo a set of drawings for a kitchen that we had been brainstorming over several years. We had been told repeatedly (by other furniture and cabinet makers) that many of our details and expectations required too much precision and should be simplified to ease execution. Franjo proceeded to absorb every detail instantly, not only agreeing to execute our dream kitchen, but also introducing ideas, elements, and details that made it even more extraordinary. He tackles every single challenge thinking not about how quickly or easily a particular task or detail can be accomplished, but instead with the rare pride of a great craftsman who wants his finished product to be admired by all as the best example of its kind. He is a collaborator, always offering up creative ideas but eager to listen to our ideas and insure that we were happy with the finished product. We found Franjo almost completely by accident, as much of his work involves custom furniture for national and international clients and he does very little marketing. He has an incredible talent for kitchen and cabinetry design; which combined with his furniture artistry and woodworking skills made him a perfect match for our project. He produced every detail of our kitchen, including the complex moldings that surround the kitchen and tie into the details on the cabinets. He is an expert in wood finishes of all kinds, as we needed someone with expert level knowledge in wood grains, natural finishes, painting, and glazing in order to achieve our goals. While other cabinet makers encouraged us to simplify the wood legs on our base cabinets, Franjo proceed to sculpt and model the perfect three dimensional solid walnut legs with both convex and concave curvature along a single face. He flawlessly blended our refrigerator and freezer into a wall of ice box style pantry cabinets, leaving no evidence of differentiation between the cabinets. He refused to utilize commonly accepted practices for panelizing appliances such as the dishwasher, and under-counter wine refrigerator, oven, and microwave; insisting on more complicated details which blended these appliances seamlessly into the furniture bases which became our cabinets and islands. He formed his own custom laminated bent wood panels for the arches, refusing to utilize easier techniques which lack the same level of precision and longevity. Franjo utilizes the highest quality materials, woods, and craftsmanship on every piece, refusing to compromise his commitment to furniture and cabinetry which will serve multiple generations.
All of our established schedules were met, and even our highest goals for quality and design were exceeded. Franjo personally oversaw all aspects of the installation, as he is a hands-on operator both in his shop and in the field.
If you are seeking amazing furniture, cabinetry, or custom woodwork of any kind, you must visit him. No fancy interactive website, no glossy marketing brochures, no sales pitch...Franjo simply lets his work speak for itself, and it's truly remarkable. We apologize for only having a few progress photos posted, hope to get the professional photos taken soon....
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