the trADes keeFriDer: A FunctionAl Art

Keefrider: A functional art

by nanCy ransohoff

Furniture making is an art, and nowhere is this demonstrated more beautifully than at Keefrider Custom Furniture in Santa Barbara . At their buzzing collaborative workshop, owners/operators and husband-wife team Jay and Sirie Keefrider meticulously handcraft innovatively designed furniture, custom cabinetry, and specialty projects that are tailor-made to be loved and used for generations to come .

The long-lasting nature of the work is part of what drew Jay Keefrider to it . “Most important is the quality and long-term enjoyment of the piece and the people they leave it to,” he says . “My least favorite words are ‘planned obsolescence,’ ” he adds with a smile .

Jay came to woodcraft early, developing a passion for it as a teenager and studying furniture design at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia . After receiving his BFA, he headed to California and founded his own workshop, Cotterpin Design in Los Angeles . Jay and Sirie married in 2014 and moved to Santa Barbara for Sirie to pursue a post-doctoral research position at UCSB . Meanwhile, the couple founded Keefrider Custom Furniture as a partnership . Always an active artist, Sirie began to work in the shop with Jay during her off hours, learning design and technique . She was soon hooked and decided to switch gears from her career as a research scientist .

“There are, surprisingly, a lot of parallels to research,” says Sirie of custom furniture making . “It’s very intellectually challenging, with a lot of creative problem solving . ”

The Keefriders enjoy the process of meeting with clients, getting to know them and their lifestyles, and homing in on their exact furniture desires . Each piece is uniquely crafted, and the couple takes pride in not having a particular design style . “We’re open to building anything our client wants,” says Sirie . “The unifying thread is the way we make things .”

Traditional handcraft methods such as mortise and tenon joinery are a hallmark of their work, along with the use of sustainably forested hardwoods and non-toxic finishes . They also savor the collaborative relationships they’ve developed over the years with other local artists, such as metal and glass artisans, whose work they incorporate into some of their pieces .

The duo is in the process of moving their shop from Haley Street, where they were active participants in the Second Saturdays in the Haley Corridor (Sirie was a founding board member) events and First Thursday Art Walk open houses, to a larger space at 725 Reddick Street . The additional space will allow them to hire shop assistants, host open houses, and possibly teach classes and sell milled and unmilled hardwood .

Mostly, they will continue to create beautiful, well-made furniture that stands the test of time . Says Jay, “Our greatest desire is to, at the end of the project, have the client say, ‘That is exactly what I had pictured!’ ”