Woodworker's wares have organic appeal

Woodworker Aaron Smith brought some of his wares up from San Diego for the Western Interiors Design & Home show last month at Fort Mason. It was easy to see why the magazine approved the young artisan's application for an event so local and posh - his tables and chairs of custom milled lumber have an organic appeal that is both hip and green.

The unique, 18-inch-deep Embrace Hall Table ($2,200, at right, www.aaronsmithwoodworking.com), for instance, is two-toned with California claro walnut and elm that came from Baker Hardwoods of Gilroy. There, Jim Baker seeks out mature trees that have already been permitted to be cut down - an orchard past its prime, for example, or perhaps trees on property that is going to be cleared - and mills them for unusually large slabs, suitable for conference tables, countertops or benches.

It's a form of reuse, Smith agrees, but then, "it would be greener for the trees not to have to be cut down in the first place." Still, he'd love to get a commission for a conference table.