When author Jeff Chu decided it was time to get a new desk for the first time in decades, he knew he would not settle for something from IKEA, wrote the author in his blog, Notes of a Make-Believe Farmer.

He wanted a desk to reflect his conviction that spaces matter, his belief that architecture and design express our values when done right, and his desire to support a small business.

He found all that and much more in the work of Greg Fuguet and Kristen Snow, owners of Fuugs Woodworking in Philadelphia’s Kensington section.

The couple are both trained sculptors. In their work, they focus not just on what they are making but the way they were making it as well.

“We wanted to make something that has the best story, the best future, the best impact on our piece of the world that we can touch,” said Greg.

They often make furniture from knocked down trees. Chu’s desk was made from a cherry tree on the grounds of the Upsala House, a historic mansion in Germantown.

They also make furniture that endures, another important distinction in today’s world of short-term materials.

Read more about Fuugs Woodworking in Notes of a Make-Believe Farmer.

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