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 I started this business.

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 slide 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 throughout 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.