Peek Beyond Gabe Statsky’s Custom Wood Furnishings

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Custom furniture maker Gabriel Statsky works on a dining table that he's crafting from reclaimed white oak. The wood, originally the floor joists of an 1895 Kentucky barn, will be darkened by fuming and finished with a hard-wax oil by Rubio Monocoat.

Custom furniture maker Gabriel Statsky works on a dining table that he’s crafting from reclaimed white oak. The wood, originally the floor joists of an 1895 Kentucky barn, will be darkened by fuming and finished with a hard-wax oil by Rubio Monocoat.

Since opening his shop in Santa Cruz 19 years ago, Gabe Statsky’s fine furnishings and ability to coax wood into seemingly impossible forms have earned him a cadre of admirers in the Bay Area design world and beyond. “There’s really nothing quite like seeing the reaction from the client when I deliver a piece,” Statsky explains. “It hits a lot of levels in terms of gratification and satisfaction.”

Among his latest projects? A massive dining table made of a thick slab of wood from a centuries-old Goliath that fell in Big Sur. Here, we get to know the custom furniture maker on a more personal level.

Name a dream trip you’re dying to take.

My wife, Carlie, and I really want to take the kids to northern Italy, where her family is originally from. She’s never been there. I haven’t been to Europe in a long time, so that’s the next goal.

Name a favorite local spot to take an out-of-town guest.

I love bringing people to a beautiful open area next to the shop called the Pogonip.

What book are you currently reading?

I just finished “The Drifters” by James A. Michener. I love historical fiction, and Michener is one of my favorite authors.

What’s an item on your bucket list?

I would love to figure out a way to spend a year or so abroad with the family in Australia, where my wife lived for half of her life.

Divulge your dream collaboration.

I feel like I am living my dream collaboration in working with Jen Macdonald (JRI Interiors). She is incredibly talented, she sells me to clients, and she knows and trusts my aesthetic.

Statsky keeps experimental and personal projects around his Santa Cruz workshop, including a hollow geometric shape, which he wrapped with shop-sawn reclaimed oak veneers.

Statsky keeps experimental and personal projects around his Santa Cruz workshop, including a hollow geometric shape, which he wrapped with shop-sawn reclaimed oak veneers.

A sculptural walnut table in progress.

A sculptural walnut table in progress.

Style Maker Gabriel Statsky

Style Maker Gabriel Statsky

Style Maker Gabriel Statsky