by Jim May 18th 2013

Proposal stage - we had six makers bid on our project. Kurt's proposal and communications were the most detailed and professional. He was neither the least nor most expensive - his price seemed fair given the amount of detail and thought he put into the project. Design stage - Kurt did a nice job sending us drawings and asking questions about our project. We wanted three very different beds made, and he made sure to understand what we needed in each bed. Build stage - Kurt kept us informed with emails and pictures. Perhaps the most impressive part of the build stage is when he had completed nearly 2/3 of one of the beds, but our son didn't like the way one of the posts looked. Kurt is a master craftsman, and had done a wonderful job with some butterfly joints - but my son is a 10 year old who wanted a post that didn't look "cracked." Kurt couldn't have handled the situation any better - he sold that bed to one of his friends and built my son a whole new bed at no charge. Total... Read More

Proposal stage - we had six makers bid on our project. Kurt's proposal and communications were the most detailed and professional. He was neither the least nor most expensive - his price seemed fair given the amount of detail and thought he put into the project. Design stage - Kurt did a nice job sending us drawings and asking questions about our project. We wanted three very different beds made, and he made sure to understand what we needed in each bed. Build stage - Kurt kept us informed with emails and pictures. Perhaps the most impressive part of the build stage is when he had completed nearly 2/3 of one of the beds, but our son didn't like the way one of the posts looked. Kurt is a master craftsman, and had done a wonderful job with some butterfly joints - but my son is a 10 year old who wanted a post that didn't look "cracked." Kurt couldn't have handled the situation any better - he sold that bed to one of his friends and built my son a whole new bed at no charge. Totally awesome! Delivery and Installation - Kurt and his brother delivered all three beds to our home in Chicagoland. Installation took three hours - not because they were slow, but because the beds are built like tanks! A whole classroom of kids could jump on the beds and they'd hold up. Built to last is an understatement. They look great, and really matched exactly what we had in mind. Post-sale support. For a little while, we were toying around with lowering one of the beds. As always, Kurt was professional, and offered several different solutions. Even though he had made the beds exactly as designed, he was willing to alter them if needed to meet our needs at a very reasonable price. After a while, we actually came to prefer the bed at the height he built it, but really appreciated Kurt's willingness to support the products he built. Summary. Consider yourself lucky if Kurt is one of the makers bidding on your project. He's a real professional who takes pride in his work, but doesn't have that chip on his shoulder or bad attitude that can come with it. He will work with you throughout the process to make sure you get exactly what you had in mind. The perfect "maker" for your custom project. Thanks Kurt!

by Michael Apr 21st 2013

It was pleasure working with Kurt at Black Swamp Furnishings. The products turned out beautifully.

by Ashley Apr 19th 2013

Kurt was great to work with. He was really great with communicating when he had a question or concern!

by Yousuf A Feb 11th 2013

Professional and fantastic!

by Carillon Jan 07th 2013

I highly recommend Black Swamp Furnishings for woodworking projects. I found the experience of working with Kurtis to be very collaborative. He understood what I wanted and paid attention to what I liked and didn't like in terms of the overall look and feel of the project. When I was uncertain about an aspect of the project, he offered helpful suggestions. When asked, he would provide his opinion about the "pros" and "cons" of a given option. When presented with a design feature, he didn't act like an automaton; instead, he utilized his expertise to consider carefully the feature and, when appropriate, suggested ways to make it better. When I expressed uncertainty about whether or not one of his suggestions would work, he made a prototype to demonstrate operability. The project became a "living, breathing thing" that evolved over time. With excellent communication, extensive collaboration, a high level of expertise, exceptional craftsmanship, and outstanding attention to det... Read More

I highly recommend Black Swamp Furnishings for woodworking projects. I found the experience of working with Kurtis to be very collaborative. He understood what I wanted and paid attention to what I liked and didn't like in terms of the overall look and feel of the project. When I was uncertain about an aspect of the project, he offered helpful suggestions. When asked, he would provide his opinion about the "pros" and "cons" of a given option. When presented with a design feature, he didn't act like an automaton; instead, he utilized his expertise to consider carefully the feature and, when appropriate, suggested ways to make it better. When I expressed uncertainty about whether or not one of his suggestions would work, he made a prototype to demonstrate operability. The project became a "living, breathing thing" that evolved over time. With excellent communication, extensive collaboration, a high level of expertise, exceptional craftsmanship, and outstanding attention to detail, Kurtis *CUSTOM MADE* furniture that exceeded my expectations, will last a lifetime, and will be proudly passed on to the next generation.