Designing Intricate Custom Works of Art From Wood and Metal
Imagination unites form and function in the hands of a talented crew of wood-and-metal workers out West.
A custom pivot door in vertical-grain western cedar is finished with specially fabricated hardware in knurled bronze with a patina, connecting the entry to an external courtyard. | Photo: Kevin Scott
A summer job in his late teens ignited a passion and proved to be the start of a career for high-end woodworker Jake Kinney. The West Coast-based craftsman scored a spot working for the Dovetail Wood and Metal Shop—now Interbay Wood and Metal—which happened to be owned by a neighbor living just down the street. Kinney went on to study architectural woodworking at Seattle Wood and Technology Center, and after several twists and turns on his pathway, he is now Interbay’s foreman.
Intricate casework built with Douglas fir was designed to house an extensive reading collection and showcase artifacts in the living room of this city cabin. | Photo: Kevin Scott
“It’s an incredible place to work, surrounded by an extraordinary number of fellow craftspeople,” Kinney says. “We all share a love for what we do, and there is always something new to challenge us.” “We put our hands to anything,” says business manager Eli Hess.
“We love to invent and develop systems that are highly custom and do things that have never been done before.” After a major rebrand in October 2024, the company added a new space with its sights on expansion. Says director Axel Homar, “Our jobs were getting larger, and we wanted to branch out to work with competitors and increase the shop capacity.”
An open-style fireplace wrapped in blackened hot-rolled steel panels anchors the light-filled seating area. Hidden fasteners and an oil-and-wax finish ensure the sleek aesthetic. | Photo: Kevin Scott
Coast-to-coast commissions come in all forms, from full build-outs for outdoor clothing and gear company Filson, to a three-story hand-powered dumbwaiter in a private home. “We could have made something that just required the user to push a button, but instead all the brass mechanics are exposed,” Hess says. “That exemplifies who we are.”
Architectural mindsets and hands-on expertise bond daily inside both metal and wood shops, as the team ruminates over commercial and residential blueprints to design and fabricate intricate works of art. “There has definitely been a shift in people’s tastes, especially in mountain residential, where we’ve seen a move away from traditional rustic design to a more urban influence,” says Kinney.
Hidden appliances are seamlessly integrated with kerf patterns in this farmhouse kitchen. A mix of solid alder and alder veneer was intricately worked to mimic the tongue-and-groove design of the interior siding. | Photo: Kevin Scott
Among many things, the Interbay team thrives on devising statement stairways, intricate casework, home furnishings and exterior facades that must withstand elements from mountain winters to island sea spray.
A responsibility to the environment is equally as important to the FSC-certified company, which uses accountably sourced materials in local woods, metals and water-based finishes. An example: Decommissioned milled fir beams in a recent remodel were reworked to make tabletops. “We like to bring materials from the past and use them for the future,” Hess says.
A 2,700-year-old fir slab with aged dark colorations sits atop this island. | Photo: Kevin Scott
The current team of 20 people may be physically split into two locations, but they unite daily for lunch. “We operate like one big family,” Hess says. The art of fine craftsmanship drives each member of the tight-knit crew to push the boundaries of what is possible in their world of aesthetically curated functionality.
Almost everyone grew up exposed to wood or metal workers, witnessing family or friends who were either true craftspeople or hobby tinkerers. “We are career makers, and each of us believes that in our line of work, the sky is the limit.”
A custom door pull in bronze accessorizes this stained mahogany door. | Photo: Kevin Scott
A suspension staircase with walnut treads and cold-rolled steel support creates a dramatic look. | Photo: Kevin Scott
A kitchen wall finished in dark-stained white oak spans over 26 feet of casework, providing ample space for storage while seamlessly intersecting with the ceiling beams. | Photo: Kevin Scott
As seen in Mountain Living’s September/October 2025 issue.
