Ancient juniper trees become astonishing rustic furniture in the skilled hands of Andy and Aaron Sanchez. No harm to the environment in this tree-harvesting, however! — these New Mexico craftsmen use dead-standing trees that have succumbed to old age — New life for old wood, an act of respect and reclamation that makes beautiful use of each fine old juniper tree‘s unique characteristics.
I first determine how best to use the wood, utilizing the natural features as much as possible and book-matching the pieces. If there is a natural hole in the wood, we often fill it with polished marble or semi-precious stones, accentuating the wood’s splendor. Finally, after hours of sanding and polishing, we apply several coats of oil and wax, sometimes taking weeks to complete an inviting finish.
To begin to appreciate what a remarkable line of wooden furniture this is, just take a look at the custom vanity countertop, which was featured in Architectural Digest. The owners of the Colorado home where the counter was installed went to New Mexico to pick out their own piece of alligator juniper — this one, with lichen still attached!
Enjoy the gallery of these unique fine furniture pieces at AndySanchez.com, or sneak a video peek at the workshop: