“All I ever wanted to do was work with my hands.” With that guiding principle, and an education in art and design,
John packed his tools and moved to New York where he found his love: The Trades.
“Talk about a kid in a candy store; that was me. The building trades became my world and woodworking was my sanctuary. I loved it. All of it:
the dust, noise, fumes, pulling all-nighters to make impossible deadlines… It was harsh, sometimes even brutal, but it was in those shops where I learned what it meant to be a craftsman. To this day, one of the greatest compliments I ever received was “hey kid, you’ve got good hands.”
John ascended steadily through the ranks as a craftsman and earned a lead position at Jonathan Arnold or “J.A.”, a New York based architectural woodworking company that specialized in high-end residential work. During his time there, John began to work one-on-one with some of the most notable architects, designers and builders in the industry.
“I was hooked. I loved it. I never once asked for a raise. Instead, I asked for and received challenging, complex projects often with tight deadlines. Fabrication, finishing and installation quality as well as project schedules were all taken seriously, which is why we used to joke: J. A. was no B.S."
"J. A. is where I made the shift from fabrication to the design side of the industry. I had the math and mechanical skills and had become a good
draftsman. I had a sharp eye for details and knew how to handle site conditions. My job was to understand the aesthetic vision of the design
team, assess site conditions and the builders’ needs, then, make it fit. I think my greatest asset as a designer is that I came up
through the ranks with hands-on custom fabrication experience."
After more than ten years at J. A., John made the shift to become an independent designer specializing in interior architecture and design of both high-rise and traditional construction private residences. As he explains, his first clients were other trade professionals.
"I was retained by a select few design firms and builders that I had worked with while at J. A.. I had earned a solid reputation for problem
solving and developing high quality drawing sets. They trusted me. They knew that I could look at a space and with a few visual cues from them, survey the site; then, handle the design development / documentation process. The builders knew the drawings were “for real” since everything I did was with accurate consideration of site conditions. It was a win-win for us all.”
As a designer and project manager, John continues to specialize in interior design and construction for a diverse array of projects that
vary from “full gut” high-rise renovations to the conversion of a circa 1780 barn into a private estate home in the Low Country of Charleston S.C.
Projects range from single rooms, kitchen, bath, library and media rooms to design lay-outs for the entire home, remodel or new construction.
John packed his tools and moved to New York where he found his love: The Trades.
“Talk about a kid in a candy store; that was me. The building trades became my world and woodworking was my sanctuary. I loved it. All of it:
the dust, noise, fumes, pulling all-nighters to make impossible deadlines… It was harsh, sometimes even brutal, but it was in those shops where I learned what it meant to be a craftsman. To this day, one of the greatest compliments I ever received was “hey kid, you’ve got good hands.”
John ascended steadily through the ranks as a craftsman and earned a lead position at Jonathan Arnold or “J.A.”, a New York based architectural woodworking company that specialized in high-end residential work. During his time there, John began to work one-on-one with some of the most notable architects, designers and builders in the industry.
“I was hooked. I loved it. I never once asked for a raise. Instead, I asked for and received challenging, complex projects often with tight deadlines. Fabrication, finishing and installation quality as well as project schedules were all taken seriously, which is why we used to joke: J. A. was no B.S."
"J. A. is where I made the shift from fabrication to the design side of the industry. I had the math and mechanical skills and had become a good
draftsman. I had a sharp eye for details and knew how to handle site conditions. My job was to understand the aesthetic vision of the design
team, assess site conditions and the builders’ needs, then, make it fit. I think my greatest asset as a designer is that I came up
through the ranks with hands-on custom fabrication experience."
After more than ten years at J. A., John made the shift to become an independent designer specializing in interior architecture and design of both high-rise and traditional construction private residences. As he explains, his first clients were other trade professionals.
"I was retained by a select few design firms and builders that I had worked with while at J. A.. I had earned a solid reputation for problem
solving and developing high quality drawing sets. They trusted me. They knew that I could look at a space and with a few visual cues from them, survey the site; then, handle the design development / documentation process. The builders knew the drawings were “for real” since everything I did was with accurate consideration of site conditions. It was a win-win for us all.”
As a designer and project manager, John continues to specialize in interior design and construction for a diverse array of projects that
vary from “full gut” high-rise renovations to the conversion of a circa 1780 barn into a private estate home in the Low Country of Charleston S.C.
Projects range from single rooms, kitchen, bath, library and media rooms to design lay-outs for the entire home, remodel or new construction.