Hello There

Hangin' with my Bro-ette, Hattie

My name is JP and I'm a nearly 30-year-old husband, father and amateur woodworker. I am married to my best friend Amy and together we have one daughter, Hattie. She's the prettiest, smartest, little baby we've ever made :). That's her and me in the picture, if you were wondering.

I started 'Marc-Charles Custom Furniture' out of my single-car garage back in 2009 with just a circular saw, jigsaw (which I "borrowed" from my Dad), and no training of any kind. Since I can remember, I've had a knack for figuring out how things work. When I was a kid, I remember building the stuff that was on the back of the Lego carton just by looking at the picture of it. So, in 2009 when I stumbled across a small broken cedar chest at an antique store, I thought to myself, "I think can fix that." That turned into, "wouldn't it be cool if..." which eventually became my first repurposing project.

First project - Cedar Chest Coffee Table

Since then, I've upgraded to a slightly larger shop (still my garage, only it's a two-car!) and have slowly added to my tool collection. After a few more refinishing and repurposing projects, I worked up the courage to try designing and building something from scratch. That's why I've started this blog. I'd like to share what I've learned and hopefully provide inspiration and encouragement to those of you wanting to try something like this yourself. I hope to learn a thing or two from you, too.

I'll be posting pictures of some of the work I've done, along with walk-throughs (and potentially plans) for each one. I'll share how I design, plan, and shop for new projects. I'll also talk about refinishing methods I use for those vintage-looking or distressed pieces.

If you want something designed, built, refinished or just want advice, you can message me on my Facebook page or email me directly. I also welcome your comments here; whether you want more details on project or have built one of the projects here and want to share your experience, I want to know!

Okay. You guys are old enough. I'm gonna tell you the story of how I made your furniture. It's gonna be LEGEN...wait for it....

JP Marc-Charles