The San Francisco Chronicle recently ran an article on one of my favorite furnituremakers, Berkeley Mills. Their Japan meets Craftsman style is instantly recognizeable and really enunciates many of the best features of each aesthetic. As seen in the photograph above, they do architectural millwork and cabinetry as well, not just furniture.

A good friend just completed a Craftsman-style house for his family, and he was looking for furniture that would match its authentic style. On a recommendation from the Craftsman Home in Berkeley, we headed for Berkeley Mills, one of a small handful of Craftsman-inspired furniture-makers in the United States.

When we wandered into the showroom, I did not announce that I was a Chronicle contributor, or that I was a wood butcher who'd fashioned a variety of cabinetry projects (along with dozens of houses) over the past 30 years. The guy on the floor approached us, discovered our interest, and promptly led us to a sideboard, stating in an offhand way, "This is one I built."