CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

  • When I was building my home, my wish for myself and guests was to walk in the door and feel the essence of me. Andy was able to transform my ideas to reality. The furniture he has made speaks to who I am. It is not only beautiful, warm, but inviting. My bedroom, my living room, my library, my sanctuary. Thank you Andy.

    — Charlene Handleman

  • We first “met” Andy Maisel on the cover of Fine Woodworking magazine. He was featured for a tall Shaker cupboard that he built entirely from solid wood, using cherry for the exterior and birch and poplar for the interior; ebonized cherry drawer pulls, and a finish of oil and wax. We bought the magazine and learned that Maisel resided in Missoula, MT, our home. We met with Andy, his black lab and newborn son Levi around 2008, and have collaborated with him on many projects since. Andy designed and built beds, desks, a dining table and bench, mantels, and bedside tables for us over the years, using cherry, walnut, curly maple, American chestnut and white pine. Maisel is humble and exacting with his design process. He brings a very precise artistic approach to conceptualizing the piece to be built and explains his ideas, process and materials as they relate to you, in your environment and living situation. He attends to every detail (each bed slat is numbered to match its placement on the frame, breadboard table ends and legs are designed for both proper support and artistic beauty, pull designs match the heft of the piece and compliment the wood species). Maisel delivers his work with great thoughtfulness. Installation instructions, wood care, room placement, lighting considerations, and use are all discussed before he turns over what is truly a piece of art. It has always been such an exciting process to work with him and anticipate his creations.

    — Mary Beth and Karl Swanson

  • It has been an absolute joy to work with Andy Maisel on projects ranging from installing sliding shoji doors, to designing and building a corner shelf system, to fabricating stairs that allowed easy access to fittings directly underneath them, to several smaller and deceptively mundane projects that required his creative vision, thoughtful consideration, exacting precision and expert woodworking skills. Every time we work together, I marvel at the process he undertakes to "get things right" and the exceptional quality of the product he produces. One of Andy’s strongest skills is his ability to listen carefully and ask detailed questions until he has developed a thorough understanding of the client's vision. When we have worked together, I become part of his team; the process of creating together is as rewarding as the excellence of his product.

    - Barbara Bekken

PRESS

“Andrew Maisel’s dignified craftsmanship is infused with his spirit of emotional, visual, and sensual empathy. During the creation process, he draws from his own expectations, abilities, and experiences to create structural, technical and decorative solutions for specific design needs”

— Missoula Living

“Shaker simplicity: east Missoula woodworker crafts fine furnishings in traditional spare, durable and functional fashion”

— Missoulian, Montana Life, Territory

“Drawing from experience and observation, craftsman Andrew Maisel constructs unique styles of furniture steeped in history”

— Clark Fork Journal

“Carve your own niche. A traditional woodworker goes solo - and soars - by building relationships as well as fine furniture”

— Your Business, Commonsense Guide To Success