James, or Pep as his friends call him, sees art in nature and strives to bring out the beauty that nature provides.

Pep became interested in furniture making as a child watching his Grandfather, a furniture finisher, in his own shop. Pep spent many years of his career working as a builder and real estate developer, but always returned to his passion and hobby of using wood to create art and furniture. His hobby expanded and grew into a business in 2015 when he started Beach + Barn Furniture out of his home in Madison, CT.

After spending many years selling to private clients, Beach + Barn Furniture Studio opened its doors to the public in the Trolley Building on the Post Rd in Westbrook, CT. With the larger studio space and additional equipment, Pep is able to build almost any size table and create mantles, counter tops, and floating shelves.

Each live edge, epoxy resin, or driftwood table Pep crafts is one of a kind and unique. He uses locally and sustainably sourced hardwood, hand collected driftwood, or reclaimed wood for most of his projects. He finishes each table with a plant based Osmo polywax to protect and enhance the natural grain, color, and luster of the wood. He wants his tables to look and feel as natural as possible. Pep says “no two pieces of wood or individuals are the same or perfect. Each one is the manifestation of the time spent on its individual transformative journey. You can draw a lot of comparisons between driftwood, live edge wood, and people.” Pep’s passion is making custom tables for his clients and creating unique and one of a kind pieces that will last your family a life time.

If you come by the studio you will likely find him working in the back, but he’s always eager to chat about wood, tables, art, travel, food, and life. It’s always a good idea to call ahead just to make sure he isn’t out sourcing hardwood or scouring the beaches for more driftwood. Beach + Barn has open studio hours on Fridays and Saturdays from 10-3 or call (203) 779-9066 to make an appointment.