Before I sound elitist here, know that I probably cannot afford a number (translation: any) of these pieces. But I can drool over them just the same.
As an interior designer, I love me some custom-made furniture. Quality, hand-crafted, lasting pieces of art! So you will understand why I adore the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association. They carry-on a 300 year old tradition of handmade museum-quality furniture and you should see their pieces! Gor. Geous.
Dedicated to preserving, promoting and expanding the art and craft of fine furniture making, the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association was created in 1993 to build public awareness of New Hampshire’s fine furniture makers and to cultivate an audience for their goods closer to home. The concept of banding together was that not only could artisans benefit from creative relationships with each other, but they could draw greater local interest and support in their work while sharing traditional skills desperately needing to be kept alive. The Furniture Masters, working out of all corners of the state, work collaboratively and leverage their amazing body of collective knowledge and experience to stimulate one another’s creative output of furniture for museums, collectors, and every-day users combined. Each year, the organization showcases a select group of the members’ creations in a series of exhibitions, house parties, and an annual auction. 
I have used pieces like these in the nicest of my Manhattan penthouse projects. But this furniture is not something everyone can take home. However, having the right finances for this furniture or not, it can still be a pretty awe-inspiring art to behold. Things like the bowtie and pocket joints, the intarsia, the colorful marketry, or just simply the curve of a piece of wood can illicit appreciation from art collectors to novices alike. What incredible things we human being can do with simple tools and our hands! No matter what your bank account tells you, DO check out the website of some of the most inspiring local artisans I have ever seen: http://furnituremasters.org/
