ABOUT US

MY NAME IS JEFF SAINE.

I established Saine Cabinetry, Inc. in 2005 after working for 15 years as a furnituremaker in an established cabinet shop. I design and hand build furniture and custom cabinetry where I reside in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Growing up in rural Illinois in the 60’s, I liked to make things with my hands. Popular Mechanics was the go-to magazine for building go-karts, sail carts and skateboards out of wood.  Even from those early days, I remember thinking that I wanted to be a carpenter.

When I was in high school in the state of Washington, I assisted a teacher in building his Japanese style house on Lopez Island, a short ferry ride from Bellingham where I would eventually graduate from college with a degree in Anthropology.  The home had all the aesthetic lines of a traditional Japanese home, but the components, joinery, and construction were complex. Much later I realized that this interplay between simplicity on the outside and the complexity and craftsmanship required to achieve this simplicity, is what contributes to my interest and work as I design and build furniture.

This era seemed to have instilled the quest for meaning and quality in the work environment, quality over quantity, questioning authority, sustainability and your path on your own terms. For me, personally, this manifests itself in handmade and crafted furniture. There is a beauty and a purpose to items made by hand that no factory or assembly line can ever replicate.

I am also a musician, and I find that the process of writing and arranging music and designing and building furniture is much the same.  A bass line or a rhythm can help anchor and solidify a song, and for furniture it’s usually a shape stimulated by a piece of architecture or another piece of furniture, a texture in wood, or a pattern created by an object. Sometimes the form comes quickly and other times it can take months. Sketch an idea, model the idea, and break down the components. Make a mock-up of the piece and adjust the proportions. Then slowly watch it start to come together.

I prefer to work in domestic wood species that have been handled in a sustainable way. The majority of the wood I choose for furniture comes from individually brokered lumber sellers that obtain their logs locally.

If you’re interested in finding out more about me or the work that I do, please feel free to get in touch.