Before & After: The Art of Custom Furniture Design

Custom furniture design has many benefits, the obvious of which is complete control over the design and execution of your personal furniture piece, but beyond that, we strive for more at Rotsen Furntiure.

One of the top qualities we aim to provide our customers with is a unique range of furniture, varying in materials (have you ever seen Radica Redwood? We love it, let us show you why!), finishes and sizes, all in addition to the ready-to-ship pieces that we have already hand-made and ready to go (all unique in their own right of course). When you are thinking of re-decorating or re-designing, uniqueness is probably one of the top requirements we hear requested from our clients and from the interior designers who partner with Rotsen. With ready furniture from large chain stores (like a West Elm or Pottery Barn), they produce more than one piece of the same design which although the pieces can be alluring, they leave little to the (unique) imagination.

Along with thoughtful design, quality is also a top priority at Rotsen Furntiure.  Furniture is only able to stay intact for years to come if the quality of the materials is taken into account from the start. We only use real, authentic wood (that we source ourselves from places like California and Brazil) and never skimp by using imitation product or anything of a lesser quality like plywood or laminate.

To get a better idea of our process and for a closer look inside the Rotsen Studio to see how three of our custom furntiure pieces are created, see the before-and-after photos demonstrating our crafting process below…

1. The Bolacha Star Coffee Table

The before…

and the after …

1. Mango Root Coffee Table

The Before …

 

The After …

1. Itauba Solid Wood Bench

The Before …

The After …

For more insight into the Rotsen studio and our creative process, be sure to also follow us on Instagram! 

Behind the Making of a Custom Dining Table

The Otis Dining Table is a product in which we receive a lot of questions and feedback. The intricate design sparks interest in clients and interior designers alike. Because the process is a detailed one, today we would like to take you behind the scenes at the Rotsen Furniture studio to show you just how we create this amazing piece of furntiure/artwork.

Step 1: Create the Wood Base

This particular beam is made from reclaimed wood, that like all of our wood, is sourced locally in the United States (from places like California) or Brazil. The size of the wood is completely customizable depending on the purpose of your particular table; it can be adjusted for a console, coffee table or like in this case, a dining table.

 

Step 2: Select Finishes

The Otis Dining Table is complimented by a weathered metal finished corten steel base on each side. The metal base finish, color and material is also customizable.

 

Step 3: Assembly

Once all of the table’s individual pieces are ready to assemble, we place the wood beam between the metal base legs, which is attached with screws and the glass top sits directly in the metal. What prevents the glass top from sliding on the base are silicone bumpers that are glued to the wood. The silicone bumpers and the weight of the glass are normally enough.

There are occasions when clients, concerned about children safety, ask for alternatives. Depending on how we deliver the piece, we often put the glass on once the table is in it’s final spot in it’s new home in order to prevent any damage to the glass during it’s travel.

and then the end result looks like this!

 

 

For more behind-the-scenes, be sure to follow us on Instagram! See you there! 

Miami Design at your fingertips: Ready-to-ship from Rotsen Furniture

We are at it again! Every day is a fresh start for Miami design and we love to seize the opportunity to create, design and produce unique and one-of-a-kind furniture pieces that are going to make a statement within the interior design of your home.

Take a look at today’s Friday Feature – a NEW buffet console that we have been working on lately here in the Rotsen Furniture studio. Check back soon to see how it turns out:

 

Some of our other favorite console pieces from the ready-to-ship department include the Claro Walnut Slab Table and the Wood, Metal and Acrylic Table. Each piece is unique and can be customized per client’s specifications. We design furniture pieces making sure to integrate the wood’s organic characteristics with a clean, graceful and modernist aesthetic. Our team of world class artisans and craftsmen works with rare solid woods, impressive single slab live edge lumber, and large book matched slabs, making unique and sophisticated furniture. Visit us online to see more!

 

Make sure to also follow us on Instagram for a closer look inside the studio! 

Miami Design – Incorporating Wood into your Modern Home

A common misconception about modern Miami interiors is that most, if not all, of the furntiure needs to be white, lacquer, shiny and chrome. As a Miami based carpentry firm, we work with a lot of very talented interior designers and decorators who are really digging deep and creating innovative concepts that challenge the normal elements of design. For example, wood is a great way to add an organic and natural touch to an otherwise cold or sterile interior. This philosophy is one of the reasons why we absolutely love designing mostly wood pieces here locally in modern Miami.

Take a look at one of our favorite pieces in the making and judge for yourself – can you envision this gorgeous table, crafted with so much care and detail, in your home? It will be ready-to-ship this week so for more information, make sure to visit us online.

 

Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for more updates and insight into our day-to-day studio life! 

Friday Feature: New Ready-To-Ship Items from Brazil

Miami design delight! If you have been following along with the Rotsen Furniture blog and keeping up with us on Instagram and Facebook, then you know we recently received a HUGE container full of fresh goodies from Brazil! When we say goodies (because to us, they are like candy!) we mean a shipment of custom-made furniture pieces that are created from wood that we personally sourced during our last trip to Brazil.

At Rotsen Furniture, the design process is a very personal one. Each piece of furniture is created with thought and detail, including the type of wood that is used, why it is used, how it is used and was it sourced responsibly to the environment, locally and economically.

This attention to detail is what produces our ultimately unique pieces of furniture that not only add to the overall interior design of your home but also bring life, warmth and purpose to it. Take a look at some of the great items that are ready-t0-ship, meaning they can be yours in just a couple of weeks shipping time!

 

The Solid Brauna Wood Bench 

The perfectly narrow seating option for thin or small entry foyers and hallways and also the perfect touch of warmth to add to the end of your bed, in replace of dining room chairs or in the living room. The contemporary Solid Brauna Wood Bench is made from a single slab of Brauna Wood.

Dimensions: 86.5″ x 8.5″-12.5″ x 17.5″

Ferpas Round Dining Table with Aluminum Base
We added a touch of glam and style to this beautiful and unique Ferpas Dining Table through the single leg table base made of aluminum. The top is glass with an under mounted design of slated wood for an organic design effect.Dimensions: 54″ Diameter x 30″ H 

Salvaged Piqui Amarelo Wood Coffee Table 

Yep, you’re looking at a coffee table! This creative and fun design was created to challenge the traditional coffee table shapes, design and intention. The organic Piqui Amarelo Coffee Table is made with part of a naturally fallen Piqui Amarelo tree. The salvaged part of the trunk has a unique natural texture that has been used as the focal point for this table. It can be used with or without a glass top, and with or without casters.

Dimensions: 52″ L x 30″ D x 10″ H

Organic Vinhatico Slab Coffee Table

Another fabulous take on the traditional coffee table – the gorgeous Vinhatico Cocktail Table is made with a single slab of Brazilian Vinhatico wood, with organic edges and designed at a low height to compliment any modern or contemporary interior.

Dimensions: 87’’L x 25’’D x 10’’1/2

For more information or to contact us regarding a sale or product details, visit us online today. 

 

Miami Luxe Magazine Features Rotsen Furniture

Drumroll please…

Miami Luxe Magazine has written and published an editorial spread on Rotsen Furntiure in their October issue of the Miami edition – a truly humbling experience, we are so honored to be researched and acknowledged by such a highly coveted publication. And it all starts with a story given by Pilar Meza, lead at Rotsen Furntiure. Take a peek into the article which describes Rotsen’s mission statement, it’s dedication to environmental sustainability, our process and the transition into our line of ready-made and custom furniture pieces.

Here’s a little story to describe how it all starts:

As you walk through the rain forests of Brazil, camera and tape measure in hand, you listen to the wind whistling through the tree tops and the muffled movement of the leaves on the ground beneath your feet. You’re on the hunt for dead and fallen trees, the raw material for your work as a furniture maker, and you are waiting for the right piece of wood to call out to you. When it does, you photograph it, measure and tag it for removal from the forest floor.

It can take up to a year for that piece (sometimes as large as 50 inches in diameter and 20 feet long) to arrive at our studio in Miami.

“The tree has died but we give it life again as a piece of art or furniture.” That brings to mind the sentiments of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree—a humble tree stump happy to be called back into service.

“Each tree—some of them 500 years old or more—tells a story.” Our job is to decide how to translate that story.

The organic pieces you and your team of craftsmen create at Rotsen Furniture—planters, tables, benches, wall sculptures and stools—are increasingly sought after by both residential and commercial customers, including the Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental hotels.

Check out the full editorial spread below:

DKOR INTERIORS SHOP LOCAL – FEATURES ROTSEN FURNITURE

One of our favorite parts of working as a small firm (our warehouse is located in Hialeah – just a quick drive West from Miami Beach) is the amazing relationships that we build with some of Miami’s top talents. One of which is Dkor Interiors, a power house interior design firm serving high-end residential homes throughout South Florida and the world. We have been working and partnering with the team behind Dkor for many years now because not only is the work that they turn over stunning, but it very much caters to the emotional and mental connection of their clients. Meaning each piece that they source with us (and all of their vendors for that matter) are thoughtfully designed and selected.

Creating a strong connection with their clients is an important part of production for Rotsen Furniture. We design, produce and manufacture every piece with our own hands and with a connection to nature that you can’t find with any mass-produced items  and most importantly, with love.

So, in summation, we love working with Dkor! And we are so happy to offer Dkor fans and followers a 15% discount site wide at rotsenfurniture.com. Just use “DKOR15” when you contact the Rotsen sales team today!

If you’ve ever spotted some of our work in their portfolio, now is your chance to GET THE LOOK. Take a look at the new opportunity presented by Dkor and help support your local vendors!

 

 

To Shop Rotsen’s Full Collection, Visit Us Online!

Rotsen Furniture At Home – Cozy Chic In Colorado

One of the best parts of our job as Miami carpenters is getting to see the transformation that the original wood material takes from it’s natural form, often salvaged from decaying bridges and abandoned forests (read how we source from Brazil by clicking here) to a beautiful piece of unique and custom furniture. We especially love to see our work in photographs from past clients! Today on the Blog, we are are featuring photos of three very special pieces in their new Colorado home. A “cozy chic” interior that is warm and inviting in concept, perfect for the intention of Rotsen Furniture’s rich and bold and organic pieces. This home decor project was completed in 2011 for our clients in Colorado – take a detailed look below …

 

Live Edge Walnut Coffee Table with Plexi Base:

 

Bolacha Side Table with Bronze Base:

 

The Salvaged Hardwood Bench with Metal Base:

 

The “Helena Dining Table”: 

We did not produce the dining table in this project however to get the look, consider the “Helena” – A large dining table made with a single live edge slab of reclaimed Peroba wood. The same dining table design is available with wood table tops made of slabs of walnut, acacia and other wood types. Custom made furniture items by Rotsen can be made with natural edges or in straight lines. Rotsen can customize this contemporary dining table do different dimensions, sitting from 6 to 14 people. The Helena Dining Table is fully customizable.

 

To see more from Rotsen Furniture, be sure to visit us online today! And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram as well! 

 

Hello from Rotsen Furniture

We recently had the privilege to work with Miami based photographer, Claudio Beier of Claudia Beier Photography at a photoshoot for upcoming editorial coverage in one of the world’s best known Interior Design magazines. We aren’t able to give you any details yet so below take a sneak peek at the Rotsen Furniture team and be sure to stay tuned for the complete project coverage once the magazine is published. We can’t wait!

 

 

For more information and updates on Rotsen Furniture and the Miami custom furniture market, be sure to follow us on Instagram!

 

Rotsen Furniture Heads to Brazil

Hello from B R A Z I L!!!!

We could not be happier than to share with you some in-depth photos, updates and details from Rotsen Furniture’s latest trip to the place that we like to call, Disney Land! To help our readers and followers to understand why we here, what we are discovering and the mission behind sourcing in Brazil.

Brazil is a land very rich in nature – it it characterized by high biodiversity, supporting many different species of mammals, insects, birds, reptiles and forests. Because the climate is temperamental in the South and tends to be where you see a lot of snowfall atop the mountains, we head to the Northern region where the climate is tropical, warm and rainy. This climate produces stunningly gorgeous flora, fauna and forests full of trees, separated by many different species that over the years, begin to fall or get cut down to be salvaged and re-purposed, often in places such as barns, farms, by rivers and lakes. It is here where we hike out to see the deserted remains of these efforts and find stunning pieces of strong, organic and extremely viable specimens.

These “leftovers” are beautiful in their own right and are what help to create the beautiful designs back at Rotsen Furniture’s Miami studio from scratch – relying heavily on the natural characteristics of the wood’s grains, color and texture to guide the furntiure pieces’ creation. Take a look at some photos from our trip so far and be sure to follow us on Facebook and check back soon for more updates!

 

We are looking forward to sharing more highlights from our trip with you – See you soon!