Solid wood furniture handcrafted in northern Indiana
Custom and contract work is where Manasses Henry really stretches its legs. We begin with your vision, then translate it into solid North American hardwood, true mortise-and-tenon joinery, and a finish that fits the room and the people who will live with it.
You know how you want a room to feel. We help you arrive there with custom dimensions, storage and details that match the rest of your home.
We routinely collaborate with designers who need specific proportions, profiles and finishes for residential and light commercial projects.
From multi-piece orders for common areas to standout lobby and boardroom pieces, we build contract work that still feels like it came from a bench.
Over the last several years we have developed a wide range of custom finishes for contract and designer projects, including specialty stains built around a specific color palette, subtle sheens that balance light reflection and warmth, and ceruse finishes where grain is highlighted by hand work.
These finishes involve quite a bit of hand application and testing, so they are not listed as standard options. A custom finish or finish match typically involves a one-time finish development fee.
If you need to coordinate with an existing piece or built-in, we can often create a close match. You send high-quality photos and, when possible, a physical sample. We build a test panel and send it back for approval. Once approved, we carry that formula through your project.
We can paint furniture, especially within designer-led projects where color and paint type are clearly defined. Because paint introduces many variables, we treat painted work as case-by-case, with additional discussion and usually an elevated fee.
We understand the sentiment and have done it before, but it is not standard practice. When the wood’s storage history and moisture content are unknown, movement and cracking become much more likely, and the piece cannot be covered by our lifetime warranty.
Share your idea, sketches, inspiration images, and room measurements. We’ll talk through wood species, finish direction, budget, and timeline.
Based on our discussion, we provide a written estimate and outline of what is included: design time, finish development if needed, and projected lead time.
For more complex work, we create drawings and, if needed, finish samples for review. Once approved, your project moves into the build schedule.
Your piece is bench-built in our northern Indiana shop, using solid hardwood and true mortise-and-tenon joinery. We keep you updated as it moves through the shop.
We coordinate white-glove delivery to your client’s home or project site, or schedule a pickup at the shop if that suits the project better.
We will help translate it into a piece that fits the home, the project and the way it will be used.
