When re-purposing or revitalizing a piece, we’re inspired by the beauty of natural aging and respect for history. So, rather than plane and sand away every “blemish” in an attempt to restore each item to “like-new” condition – we prefer to embrace the beauty marks time has bestowed on wood that spent 100-plus years keeping weather out of a sturdy Midwestern barn or serving a family at mealtime. These marks tell a story, and we prefer to work carefully to enhance the story in each item.

VRA also builds new, from our own designs, using wood reclaimed from old Detroit and Michigan-area sources. Or, sustainably harvested and milled locally and given the opportunity to live on in new forms for many more generations.

Let us build you a classic harvest table that seats eight, a “live-edge” bench or coffee table for the den or cottage or a conference table for the office. Consider one of our finely-crafted cutting and serving boards. Bring us that treasured Pewabic tile to frame in authentic Arts & Crafts style. Perhaps you have a neglected family hand-me-down that is gathering dust in the basement – we can take Grandma’s old vanity and re-purpose it into a beautiful desk, or that beat up 1930s-era school desk can become a modern TV stand, or we can transform an old solid wood door into a useful and handsome hall tree.

The Yard Sale