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Metro Detroit is home to many stores and artists who work with responsibly sourced and reclaimed wood, making it easy to find pieces or project materials for your home. You can install their work as flooring, furniture, or art pieces for your walls, giving your home an individual look that cannot be replicated by any big-box store. Recycled or reclaimed are smart ways to go if you want a one-of-a-kind interior design for your residence.
The way these shops preserve the details so they aren’t destroyed by tree cutting or through teardowns and demolitions is what makes them special. The careful preservation practices show respect for the trees, homes, and buildings that stood for many generations. Utilizing responsibly sourced and reclaimed wood prevents these beautiful examples of craftsmanship from going into landfills and helps to continue sustainable reuse practices.
Here are some Metro Detroit businesses that offer reclaimed wood and related materials for designs in homes, businesses, and more…
THE END GRAIN WOODWORKING CO.
30958 Industrial Road, Suite A, Livonia
One spot where you may have seen the work of The End Grain Woodworking Co. is at your favorite bar without even realizing it! Co-owner Sam Constantine tells us, “Since starting out in 2011, The End Grain Woodworking Co. has had a passion for working with reclaimed materials…We specialize in the manufacturing of one-of-a-kind reclaimed wood pieces that have a rich history behind them. These materials once housed some of Detroit’s earliest residents and we love sharing their stories by including the address from where the wood originated from…We work with several local non-profits that employ crews to properly deconstruct and divert valuable old-growth lumber from landfills…Bringing ideas to life is what we’re all about! From custom furniture to accent décor pieces, we offer a wide variety of reclaimed wooden products that include tables, fireplace mantles, floating shelves, wooden photo prints, charcuterie boards, serving trays, bottle openers, bar tap handles, frames, etc…”
WOODWARD THROWBACKS
11500 Joseph Campau Avenue, Hamtramck
Detroit residents Bo Shepherd and Kyle Dubay wanted quality furniture, a cool vibe, and a safe, clean city when trying to furnish their apartments. They started looking around Detroit for reusable materials and turned that into a thriving business with a huge facility that employs Detroiters for its beautiful frames, shelves, seating, tables, and more. Reach out by email to check out Woodward Throwbacks’ 10,000 sq. ft. showroom that’s filled with reclaimed furniture, handmade and vintage decor, salvaged materials, and vintage goods in downtown Hamtramck.
WORKSHOP
6545 St. Antoine, Floor 3, Detroit
This retailer creates handcrafted wood furniture using old-growth structural pine while working closely with Detroit deconstruction crews. Each piece carries a stamp of the stress address of the home or building where the wood was reclaimed, highlighting both the city and the history of its residents. This way, the lumber enjoyed a “third life,” from tree to home to furniture, according to Workshop. The store carries furniture, dining tables, kitchen countertops, wall treatments, and more.
ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE WAREHOUSE OF DETROIT
5110 Bellevue Street, Detroit
If you’re looking for furniture and accessories that honor and celebrate environmental sustainability, then this Detroit favorite is the right place to shop. Its motto is “transforming waste into opportunity,” creating jobs and training through the deconstruction of buildings and homes. Besides keeping materials out of landfills, reclaimed materials can sometimes also be used when preserving historic buildings. Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit removes fixtures and other key parts and sells the salvaged materials in the warehouse and on its website.
LIVE EDGE DETROIT
241 Park Street, Troy
If you want to take more of a do-it-yourself approach for your pieces, family-owned Live Edge Detroit is a great option for a wide selection of natural, raw wood slabs from trees that once grew in the neighborhoods we all live, work, and play in. Mike Barger (founder of local tree care company, Mike’s Tree Surgeons, Inc.) started Live Edge Detroit in 2016 with the help of his two kids, Jenny (Barger) Kwiecien & Joe Barger. “Live Edge Detroit is a dream over 40 years in the making,” said Mike’s daughter, Jenny (Barger) Kwiecien. “For years, my dad had always talked about how much he wanted to breathe new life into the felled urban trees from our local neighborhoods, and in 2016 we all joined forces to bring that dream to life. Today, it is bigger and more exciting than we could have ever dreamed. If you love nature, wood, or sustainability, you’ll love your visit to Live Edge Detroit.”
It is their mission to preserve the beauty of these felled urban trees and give them new life, for others to enjoy for years to come. Live Edge Detroit does not purchase or remove trees, but instead works through partnerships with local tree care companies and organizations to upcycle previously felled urban trees that would otherwise have gone to firewood or mulch. Logs from these trees are milled & dried at their warehouse, in Troy, and then made available to the public for purchase. Inventory offerings range from highly-figured small wood pieces to large-scale slabs for furniture. Customers can find great options for shelving, mantels, coffee tables, end tables, dining tables, art pieces, charcuterie boards, cutting boards, and more! Visit their warehouse to pick the perfect slab for your project, or pop into the showroom to browse finished pieces, with no appointment necessary.
This article has been updated to include new information. The original article was published on March 1, 2022, and was authored by Karen Dybis.
