Walking inside their front door, it is not quiet and the pace is not slow. Messes are many and hands are usually full of at least one little one. And yet, there’s a sense of belonging, a sense of home.
It’s more than a talent, really, the ability to transform the basics of living into a place of belonging, to fashion a shelter into a refuge.
This innovation is a gift as Unruh Furniture offers this sense of home from their local workshop where each piece is functional, creative, solid, and hand-crafted to fit the living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and nooks of families nationwide.
His furniture serves as not just simple shelving or storage, but as pieces of authentic art; pieces of stories as generations will gather around sharing stories over them, tucking their children into dreams within them.
As Kansas City’s premier furniture designer and craftsman, Sam Unruh has built a business around his passion, and together with his wife, they’ve built a brand around their vision for making houses home.
Sitting down with him recently, I couldn’t help but pick his brain on his overwhelmingly inspiring vision.
Where do you draw your inspiration?
I find inspiration for furniture in my desire for practicality and improvement. The fun in getting a new piece of custom furniture is that it meets a custom need in an exact way. I am inspired to make homes more functional and restful by providing custom and attractive furniture solutions to the problems of storage, dining, sleeping, and working. From desks and dresser to nightstands, tables, benches, and beds the furniture we make solves the unique dilemmas of each room while at the same time providing a creative touch that’s easy on the eyes. We began in 2010 and have been outfitting homes with trademark furniture designs. Some call it a reclaimed modern style, while others describe rustic, country character. We celebrate the many interpretations of our craft. Because every vision is unique. And so too, is every piece of Unruh Furniture.
How do you believe someone makes their house a home?
Our house is made a home through the memories we’ve shared inside. It looks like a home through the solid handcrafted pieces on the floor and authentic photographs on the walls.
What do you dream of for your home?
I dream of a place of rest and comfort for my family. I want to be able to sit next to the fire and enjoy what my home is filled with, my wife and kids to the furniture and photos on the walls. When Hayley and I bought our home it was a little dated. We walked through each room trying our best to envision it as a clean slate then we injected as much creativity and color as we could into the space. Hundreds of conversations later we arrived at a sort of a plan. We both really like white and soft neutral colors on the walls so that what we put in the home, namely the furniture we make, can shine as the focal and color piece of the space.
How is your business a part of your family and your family a part of the business?
My business is a huge part of my family in that we started it in my garage. The first year I began every day early with a family breakfast before taking the 10 steps outside to our detached two-car-garage-turned-woodshop. Hayley is the one who encouraged me to quit my other job and start out on a new adventure even though she was five months pregnant with our first at the time.
Today we have a 10,000 square foot warehouse and six employees, but my family is every bit as much a part of the journey. Hayley visits often with the our now three girls. She keeps a fridge here at the shop stocked with snacks and treats for the guys, and she still hand paints all of the signs we send out. And as a most-enjoyable perk our home is filled from top to bottom with one-of-a-kind handcrafted pieces of furniture.
What are the benefits of hand-crafted pieces for the home?
There are such great benefits to having hand-crafted pieces in your home. The first is the longevity of a solid wood piece of furniture. Because everything Unruh Furniture makes is made from scratch each piece has the customers unique stamp on it. The many choices and options we offer provide a unique experience of having a unique piece made especially for you and your space.
And my favorite benefit is that hand-crafted furniture carries with a genuine and attractive story, which is fitting for a home since that piece will witness countless stories from your family.
Check out Unruh Furniture’s one-of-a-kind creations and find your own timeless pieces at www.UnruhFurniture.com
See more of the Unruh’s At Home session here and the welcome of their twins here.