Growing up in a hands-on family, Ryan Walsh learned early on how to problem-solve and improvise—which served him well when he and his wife bought their first home and taught themselves to restore midcentury modern furniture. From those DIY beginnings, his company, LumberLust, is catching fire—and catching on, appearing on HGTV in the home of designer Landon Mondragon and specializing in contemporary and rustic designs carved from reclaimed lumber. Luxe caught up with the Arizona artisan to learn about his methodology and more.
How did LumberLust come about? As soon as I started visiting local sawmills, my imagination ran wild. We’ve built our shop one tool at a time, slowly investing with each table delivered and expanding our possibilities.
What inspires you? Nature and fashion are my two biggest inspirations. While clothing is made to fit a person’s body and lifestyle, projecting a sense of identity, furniture should do the same for a space and tell you something about the people who live there.
What is your process? It depends on if we’re creating a commissioned piece versus building something for sale in a boutique. Wood selection is at the core of either scenario, and we source mostly reclaimed hardwoods from Phoenix, maple and walnut from Washington, and other sustainable exotics upon request.
