About Us

My name is Chris Matthews.  The name of the company comes from my family history and my middle name, Austin. I have always like the name Austin and never had a chance to use it until now.

I have been building furniture since 1993.  I began building furniture for my own use as I was unhappy with the furniture that could be bought - it was either to expensive or the quality was poor.  The only furniture I liked had been built years ago and I bought it used when I could find and afford it. The used pieces were in surprisingly good shape and with a little work on the finish it was like a new piece.  On case pieces you can wax the drawer runners with a hard wax like beeswax or paraffin and they slid like new.  I appreciated the quality that existed in earlier years and decided there was no reason it could not still be done.  Little did I know then that there was a movement growing through America for better quality furniture.

I mostly work in the Arts and Crafts, or Mission, style and the Shaker style of furniture.  Both employ simple lines, a quiet display of the joinery and allow the beauty of the wood to stand out. All of the pieces are hand made and finished by me in my shop.

Austin Wood Furniture

Chris Matthews

541-788-5232

email: chris@austinwoodfurniture.com