HSH First Avenue Seattle: Custom Cherry Collection for Charlie Hellstern Design

When Charlie Hellstern Design Studio approached me for their HSH First Avenue penthouse project, they needed a cohesive collection of statement pieces in solid cherry—each requiring 3"+ thick tops with seamless grain continuity. I crafted five custom tables for this downtown Seattle residence: a large coffee table, two square side tables, a large round dining table, and a specialized mahjong table with nested drawers. The challenge wasn't just scale—it was achieving perfect joinery and pattern matching across wide surfaces while maintaining structural integrity.

I selected premium solid cherry and applied a custom-controlled darkening stain that enhances the wood's natural grain movement without obscuring its character. The joinery between planks required precision planning to ensure invisible seams and continuous grain flow across each tabletop. For the mahjong table, I integrated nested drawers to store tiles and accessories, maintaining clean lines while adding functional storage—a technical detail that required careful planning during the glue-up phase.

The result: a unified furniture collection that anchors the penthouse's interior with warmth and craftsmanship. Each piece shares the same rich cherry tones and grain character, creating visual cohesion across the living spaces. This project demonstrates how collaboration with design studios allows me to execute complex, multi-piece commissions where consistency and quality matter as much as individual craftsmanship.

Project Details:

Location: HSH First Avenue Penthouse, Downtown Seattle / 08-2024

Client: Charlie Hellstern Design Studio

Material: Solid cherry, 3"+ thickness

Finish: Custom-controlled darkening stain

Collection: 5 pieces—1 large coffee table, 2 square side tables, 1 large round table, 1 mahjong table with nested drawers

Approach: Pattern-matched joinery, seamless grain continuity