Who We Are
[Just for the record, we don’t dress like this in the workshop….]
Duncan has been a woodworker for almost 50 years, and built lots of the furniture in our Charlotte, NC home. Four or five years ago, Mary Ann found a picture of a live-edge epoxy river table and said “Can you make something like this?” She was thinking of a new dining room table for our summer house on the shore of Lake Michigan, and wanted the river to mimic the colors of the lake.
That first project turned into the Brazilian Walnut table featured under “Portfolio.” Mary Ann had very specific ideas for the pigments we would use in the epoxy, and she became the “color brains” of the operation. First, we made about 20 cutting/serving boards as test cases, experimenting with epoxy pigments and pouring techniques.
And then we went to work, and we were pretty happy with how the project turned out…so we started to make more, both for ourselves and for others. We’ve built small projects like the serving boards, and tables so big I’ve had to enlist neighbors to help me turn them over during the sanding phase! We built a table for a charity auction, and many for friends. The Walnut Coffee Table under “Portfolio” is a commission we’re just finishing for some neighbors in Charlotte.
The RiverBark Studio Value Proposition
Our Charlotte neighbors had been looking for an epoxy river table in various stores and galleries, and couldn’t find anything that was even close to what they wanted. They had specific ideas about the color and finish of the wood, and wanted the epoxy colors to match a beloved wilderness painting that hangs in their living room. And having the ability to work together collaboratively to build a table that was exactly what they envisioned is what sets RiverBark Studio apart. Here’s the process we followed:
We met and discussed their goals (this can be in-person, or more often, over Zoom)
We examined a few different kinds of slabs, and they decided they wanted to use walnut
We marked out the footprint of the table in their living room and settled on the final dimensions
Duncan sourced several walnut slabs and the client selected one based on grain “figure” and the shape of the live edges
We arranged a proposed layout (i.e., this part of the slab will go here, this part will go there, and the contours of the “river banks” will look like this….) for their approval
We proposed a few options for the table legs/base, including both the design and powdercoating color options, and the client selected one they preferred
Mary Ann selected pigments and we poured a few layers of the base and accent colors for the river
When Mary Ann felt she had the river colors and the overall layout right, the client had a chance to review various final options and make the final decisions on the epoxy river
We finished pouring the epoxy, sanded and finished the table top, and that’s what you see under “Portfolio”
We help you articulate your vision of the finished table
We collaborate actively, giving you both guidance and choices, and confirm your approval at each important step in the process
The result is a one-of-a-kind table, utterly unique in the world, as close as possible to exactly what you envisioned at the outset