Mike's Home Decor By Design

Custom Heirloom Hardwood Frames

This was a particularly enjoyable project for me. A customer contacted me with specific wood species in mind for custom frames. He supplied one of the woods - Bois de Rose, or Madagascar Rosewood - a particularly rare and pricey wood. The others I supplied as part of the project - Brazilian tulipwood (lightest), cocobolo (brown), and Macassar ebony (black and dark brown). These frames, then, are made with precision and attention to detail. The corners have splines cut in from the same wood for subtly visible joinery with strength to last years.

Please email me if you're interested in a custom frame quote, as there are so many variables. As with this happy customer, we'll work out the details of design together and then I'll give you an estimate and we'll go from there. Thanks!! For your budgeting these frames came to about $100 each, including materials which were pricey!

Custom Oak Mortise-and-Tenon Frames

There's something about old-school woodworking techniques that gives items made with them a special quality and feel. These oak frames are made with hand-cut mortise and tenon joints. They're extremely strong, and there is not a single brad, nail, or screw to be found in the frame anywhere.

The materials are a small fraction of the cost, even for larger frames like these (12"x24" opening), so the price for a single, finished frame is going to start at $125. For frames larger than these, it will go up from there, but not drastically. Email me for an estimate. Other woods are also available.

Recessed Oak Medicine Cabinet Shelf with Mirror

This type of shelf has become a popular item from my home decor line, though no two I've made have been the same. It's a shelf that fits into the recess between wall studs where a medicine cabinet once was, though really it will fit betweeen any two studs that are the standard 16" spacing. The first I made was unfinished with moldings and a wide shelf on the bottom. This one is oak, rectangle in cross section and finished with stain and shellac, with adjustable shelves and a mirror in back. I've also done solid pine, painted white, and taller. This unit is about 24" high. Email me for a custom order, or order one like that shown by clicking on "Order Now" below.
By clicking on "Order Now," buyer agrees to these terms.

Recessed Pine Medicine Cabinet Shelf

This type of shelf has become a popular item from my home decor line, though no two I've made have been the same. It's a shelf that fits into the recess between wall studs where a medicine cabinet once was, though really it will fit betweeen any two studs that are the standard 16" spacing. The first I made was unfinished with moldings and a wide shelf on the bottom. This one is pine, rectangle in cross section and finished with high-gloss white (picture doesn't do it justice) and about 36" high. I've also done solid oak, stained and varnished, with a mirror backing and adjustable shelves. Email me for a custom order, or order one like that shown by clicking on "Order Now" below.By clicking on "Order Now," buyer agrees to these terms.

Custom Drawer-and-Pegs Hanging Shelf

These distressed-finish shelves are one of my best sellers, and for good reason. They add a touch of rustic elegance to any rooom.

Made from knotty pine, with faux drawer panels, knobs, and shaker pegs, and designed to the customer's specifications

Colors available include white, black, maroon, burgundy, navy, hunter, and more.

Sizes are approximately 16" for the single-drawer, 24" for two faux drawers, 36" for three, 48" for four, and so on. Measure your wall and see what will fit before ordering.

Shelves include a recessed keyhole on each end for secure mounting. Plate grooves can be cut into the top if desired. Top width: 5-1/4".
By clicking on "Order Now," buyer agrees to these terms.

Turned Wood Light Pull / Ceiling Fan Pull

I wouldn't have expected to like these as much as I do - these are hand-turned custom-designed ceiling fan pulls and light pulls. It was a fun little project, but now every time I pull the fan chain I thank myself - they look really nice, and they're just a pleasant little luxury that gives a
finished feeling to the room. Choose from any of the woods from my "Design Your Pen" page, and any shape you can think of including these below. Price: $20.00. Be sure to specify wood and shape when ordering.

Above: Walnut;
Below: Spalted Beech;
Bottom: Maple

By clicking on "Order Now," buyer agrees to these terms.

Custom Recessed Wall Molding Shelf

OK so you have to imagine a little to see this in its final state. Hopefully the customer will send me a photo of it installed. He took out his bathroom medicine cabinet and wanted a nice shelf to go there in the recessed opening. He sent me photos and measurements, and we designed this - moldings around, beadboard in the back, routed built up molding below a wider shelf below. He chose to save on the cost of having me finish it, so the picture is not really attractive, but the shelf will look beautiful.

Price as shown: $70.00

Solid Hardwood Jewelry Stand

This Solid Hardwood Jewelry Stand is made from solid walnut, with spindles hand-turned from paduak. The finish is natural shellac to highlight the dramatic grain in this wood. It measures approximately 2' high and 1' wide.

This client contacted me with a unique job. His wife had bought a jewelry stand on vacation in a small shop in Park City and it needed repair. They couldn't find anything like it anywhere, so they asked what I could do. Well, repair would have worked, but he decided to surprise his wife for Valentine's day with a new stand. He sent me photos of their furniture, and this was built to match.

The screen is for ear rings, the spindles inside for bracelets and necklaces. The hinges are bright brass, and there's a magnetic catch that holds it shut. The back is open so that it looks light enough to keep on top of your dresser or vanity. It has felt feet to protect the finish where it's placed.

Honestly, this is the type of project where I feel I have my niche - creating unique, totally custom products to meet specific individual tastes. It came together nicely, and my customer (though I think of them as clients) was happy. So happy Valentine's day!

Price for similar: $300.00

Wood Pegboard - Fish

This pegboard was designed for a bedroom decorated in ocean animals. Use it for your coat, hat, backpack, robe, or whatever else you choose. Made from solid pine with hardwood shaker pegs, and with keyhole bracketing on the back for secure anchorage. Almost any other shape is available. Email me clipart and I'll let you know if I can do it.

Price: $7.50 per peg unfinished, $12.50 per peg, painted, give or take depending on complexity. Price as shown: $25.00.

Wood Pegboard - Elephants

This pegboard was designed for a bedroom decorated in African jungle animals. Use it for your coat, hat, backpack, robe, or whatever else you choose. Made from solid pine with hardwood shaker pegs, and with keyhole bracketing on the back for secure anchorage. Almost any other shape is available. Email me clipart and I'll let you know if I can do it.

Price: $7.50 per peg unfinished, $12.50 per peg, painted, give or take depending on complexity. Price as shown: $25.00.

Photo-Decorated Custom Wood Frames

These frames are one of many possible ways of finishing my unfinished pine frames. I also have cork boards, magnetic chalk boards, and magnet boards. For the photo frames, specify the size of opening you need, the color, and provide digital photos and other scrapbook-type items and I'll do the rest. Vinyl lettering also can be applied if you provide it.

Frame cost: $0.25 per inch of perimeter plus $20 for finishing with paint and photos. The pictured frames are for a 12"x16" opening, and come to $41 each, finished as shown.

Custom Framed Cork Boards

Cork Boards come in handy - that's all there is to it. Whether in the office, library, kitchen, or bedroom. This was made for my son, and shows the potential. With 12"x16" of cork, it's perfect to give him a place for his favorite photos and school projects, and Mom added pictures of my kids and stuff around the edges to give it that personal touch.

The cost is $0.25 per inch perimeter around the outside frame plus $0.07 per square inch of cork, unfinished. Add $10 for painted or varnished, $10 more if you want me to modpodge on your pictures like that shown. Like that shown, the total comes to $34.50 unfinished, $44.50 painted, and $54.50 with photos and stuff.

Outdor Nativity: Stable and Manger

The Stable and Manger shown here were built for a neighbor for her use in a children's Nativity program coming up in a few weeks. It's overall dimensions are 4.5' high by 4.5' wide by 3.5' deep. The posts and timbers are all rough-cut cedar, and the roof is OSB Shed siding. These materials were chosen for the rustic look (I doubt they had machine-planed studs in the days of the birth of Baby Jesus) and for their ability to withstand the elements. The fasteners are fence screws, guaranteed by the manufacturer for 10 years of exposure to the elements. When finished, I thought "I want one for my yard." I can't stop thinking how cool it would look to set a rope light behind the front beam, out of sight, but so that it illuminates the manger, and then to put straw in the manger, around on the ground, and maybe on the roof...

The next logical question is "where would I keep it". Well, undo 16 screws and you'll be left with five flat pieces that can stack or lean up in a 5-ft by 5-ft by 6-inch space. Price as shown: $150.00

Trophy Shelf

This Trophy Shelf is made from unfinished pine. The overall dimensions are 38"x24"x5.5". It was sized to hold soccer and baseball trophies for my nephews. I really like this shelf, and you'll find a variant of it in my house, smaller, sized to hold DVD's, but used instead for keepsakes and trinkets from vacations and stuff. You can stagger them or mount them on the wall diagonally for cool effect.

The shelf shown is made from pine, and is priced at $40.00 unfinished. Finishes or other woods are available of course. Other sizes too - the possibilities are limitless.

Built-Up Custom Crown Molding Wall Shelf

Made from Pine, this Built-Up Custom Crown Molding Wall Shelf was built per a customer's designs. Via email and phone we exchanged pictures and sketches for a week as she showed me her crown moldings and explained what she wanted and I showed variations in design until we reached the perfect shape for her. She paid her deposit and I went to work, and a week later it was ready to ship.

This, I think, is where I stand out from other places you can get shelves or home decor - I build to suit, to match what you have, instead of having to settle for something that isn't quite right.

This shelf is 26" long and 9" wide, made from 17 separately cut and sanded pices of pine - the shape was particular enough that moldings at the lumber store just didn't cut it and so I made my own. The the unfinished price is $80 not including shipping.

Magnetic Chalkboard - Custom Sized

A step up from a Framed Magnet Board, the Magnetic Chalkboard - Custom Sized can do all the magnet board can and then some - write messages, keep track of the kids' chore chart, draw pictures, stick up photos and artwork - unclutter your fridge and do it with style. The Magnetic Chalkboard shown is from knotty pine, unfinished, with a 12"x12" magnetic chalkboard surface. This would cost $32.28 as shown. Why settle for standard sizes or someone else's style? Any size is good for me, and other woods are available. I can make a Magnetic Chalk Board part of another project like a calendar holder; I can add a tray below for holding magnets or chalk, etc. Finishing is also an option. Unlike unfinished pine stuff from the craft store, my products come puttied and sanded and ready to finish.

Custom Frame - for Tile Mosaic

If you're looking for more traditional picture frames, try my custom frames. This frame was made to order - this is what 'By Design' is all about. A customer called needing a custom frame size, for a school fundraiser, at an affordable cost. They want to do tile mosaics on the frames by the kids. We came up with the idea together of a hardwood lip around the edges so that the tile and grout is all contained. We worked together on the size and detailing to find a price that fit her budget and still made it possible for me to do the job. Then I went to work. A week later the frames were done and ready to ship, in time for the kids to decorate and make the fundraiser schedule.

It's cherry around the edges, birch plywood for the backing. 10"x10", puttied and lightly sanded and ready to ship to the school for the kids to get busy. These came to $10 each because she ordered 25, and that's exactly the yeild I get from one 4x4 piece of birch plywood and one 10'x6" piece of cherry. If you want less the price per frame will have to go up.

Thank you Kade, room mother for the Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Fort Smith, Arkansas! I hope you like your frames and that your fundraiser goes well!

Above-Garage Storage Platform

OK, so the Above-Garage Storage Platform isn't exactly home decor, but if it gets the clutter out of your home and frees you up to decorate a room, does that count?

If you're like me, room for storage in your house gets a little tight. But how's your garage? Mine has 12' high ceilings. The garage door has all this empty space above it that, until now, was not being put to any use. Well, those days are no more. I did structural calculations, which as an engineer I can stamp and sign myself, ordered the materials, and built this platform. It can hold pretty much anything you'd put in your plastic buckets, and has about 30" of headroom. I've now got about 340 square feet of storage I didn't have before. If you have 3-4 feet above your garage door, in a double car garage, I can build one for you.

This may seem branching out a bit from my usual stuff, but as far as I'm concerned, this is a shelf. A big one, but a shelf none the less. Want one? One this size I will build for you on site for about $1,500, depending on how far you live from my home and the size and shape of your garage.

When I finished this one, I let the kids up with me for a few minutes. Then it was time to get them washed up and ready for bed. After his bath, my 4-year old son asked me, "Dad, um, can we go up in the...uh...the place that is so totally cool?" I like that much better than 'storage platform' or 'mezzanine.' I love being a dad!

Framed Magnet Board

Framed Magnet Boards have become a popular way to unclutter your fridge and attractively display just your favorite photos and school projects. The magnet board shown is from knotty pine, unfinished, with a 12"x12" magnetic surface. This would cost $23.64 as shown. Why settle for standard sizes or someone else's style? Any size is good for me, and other woods are available. I can make a magnet board part of another project like a calendar holder; I can add a tray below for holding magnets or pens, etc. Finishing is also an option. Unlike unfinished pine stuff from the craft store, my products come puttied and sanded and ready to finish.

Five Board Bench

The Five Board Bench has long been a staple in home furnishings. Five board benches come in many sizes and shapes. From footstools to benches like this, anywhere in between. This one is solid pine, and simple square construction, 4' long, 18" high, and 12" wide, give or take. Great for the entry way. I can add armrests, backs, make it more decorative with corbels or routed edges, make it out of oak, walnut, maple, cherry, or any other wood commercially available.

Pine is the least expensive solid natural wood option, but anything that is available is fine with me. this is the bench priced in my blog at $57.50 unfinished. Shoes not included.

Custom Coat, Robe, or Towell Rack

These Custom Coat, Robe, or Towell Racks have been a very popular item for people to buy. $7.50 per peg unfinished, $12.50 per peg finished with paint, and you've got a great way to tie together your kids' bedroom furniture and wall paper or decorating theme. I've done flowers, butterflies, cars, honey pots, dinosaurs, stars, on stained or painted backdrops. All is 3/4" thick solid pine with hardwood shaker pegs. Back of rack has keyhole mounts at 16" centers for stable mounting into wall studs.

Take a photo of your wallpaper or border, tell me what colors you want and how many pegs. Size is typically 7-1/2" high by 10" per peg.

Custom Clock

This Custom Clock was made to go with the crown molding shelf in my newly remodeled bathroom. Made from pine, edging and paint to match the moldings we used, and raised number clock parts. My boys actually did a lot of the work so they could give it to their mom for Christmas. It's just one example of the limitless possibilities out there.

It can be hard to find a clock that matches your room's decor, and it makes little sense to design the room around the clock, unless it's really cool. Why settle for something you don't really want? Instead, explain the design you want, and I'll put together a bid. For a simple clock like this with basic clock parts, you're looking at about $30.00

Custom Picture Frames

It's hard to find a picture that does picture frames justice. But then, I guess that's because the frames are there to do the pictures justice - ha ha. Lots of friends have asked for frames for their walls - they want to match their decor, fit a funny picture, etc. without having to go through the expense of a framing service at a craft store or something.

Mostly I've made these Custom Picture Frames out of pine, with a rectangle cross section, but that's not all I can do. Other frame-type projects I've done include magnet boards, magnetic chalk boards, shadow boxes, etc. Typically glass and backing is not included. Most photographers recommend a protective coating instead of glass anyway. Unless it's a custom size, you can just buy a frame at the dollar store and use the glass and backing from that.

Ask my wife sometime if you want the full story on our picture wall. Let's just say it involved cutting of my fingernail in the tablesaw, putting off her frames to make some for clients, refiguring what we wanted the frames to look like, etc etc etc. Years in coming before she finally got her frames. I'm sorry to say my clients get much better service.

Price: see list on my home page for standard sizes. Custom Picture Frames of the style shown are $0.25 per inch of perimeter of frame for other sizez. For example, a frame for a 10x10 picture, with 2.5" wide sides, would have a perimeter of 60 inches (10+2.5+2.5)x4 and would cost $15.

Crown Molding Wall Shelf

You may have seen a Crown Molding Wall Shelf in stores or catalogs, but have you seen one that exactly matches the moldings in your home? I can make one for you. We recently remodeled our bathroom - we added beadboard, new moldings, and crown moldings, and painted the walls a deep red color. Then to perfect things, I made two shelves like this from crown molding matching that around the ceiling. In another room, I would have left them natural and stained them, but the white matched the decor.

This Crown Molding Wall Shelf is about 2 ft long. I would charge about $20 per foot on one like this, give or take, depending on the materials and finish you choose. If you want something more complex, I can do that too.

Faux Drawer Wall Shelf

This Faux Drawer Wall Shelf is really the first of my projects I ever sold. My wife took me in to quilted bear and showed me a shelf like this, only longer, and said that it was what she wanted on her wall. Only it was $100. So I convinced her to let me have a go at building the same thing myself. It turned out so well that she had to show all her friends. I have lost track of how many of these I've made. I've sold them at craft fairs, to friends, given them to family and friends as gifts, and we have two of them hanging in my house.

I can stain it, paint it and sand the edges (like the one shown) or whatever other sort of finish you want. Stained and varnished it adds a very formal feel to an entryway. Painted and sanded it gives a country-cottage type feel. Length can vary depending on where you put it. Mounting hardware is included and completely hidden.

Faux Drawer Wall Shelf unfinished price: $20 per drawer panel. Shelf shown is 3' long by 12" high by 5.5" deep.