Milkwood Forming Friendships and

Fine Furniture

BY ELLEN HIATT

It’s not about the furniture, it’s about the life behind the furniture. It’s about the tree and honoring its second life. It’s about the family that sits around the dining room table for conversation and breaking bread. It’s about the community and the friendships made in the process. For Allan and Frances Peterson, what they do behind the 100-year-old storefront on Monroe’s Main Street was never about the furniture. The artist couple works as a team, she as a visual artist, he as a master craftsman of wood. They finish each other’s sentences, compliment each other’s talents, and harmoniously create a world for themselves that gives them each space to create. Having found their stride, they are booked out with orders months in advance, by a couple who wants a large table for their family to gather around. wanted furniture that represents artwork but is also functional, beautiful furniture.”

Allan eschews the modern method of pouring epoxy between live edge slabs to create the impression of a river. He’ll fit glass between the edges.

“Nature has done such a beautiful job of putting this together and then man comes along and shoves a bunch of plastic in it. It’s kind of a hard concept for me to grasp,” Allan said, adding they follow the philosophy of past furniture maker George Nakashima. “It’s not something that’s supposed to be fashionable. We need to give that tree a second life, with the respect it deserves.

“That 4x6 started as a tree. Someone turned it into a header to provide protection in a home. Now, instead of winding up in a dump pile, it’s becoming a table.

“The pile of walnut down there… that’s going to be a round dining table. The customer wants its gouges filled with pewter,” he added. Pewter is timeless, asserts Allan; It will honor the tree. He also practices the art of Shou Sugi Ban, the Japanese method of burning and preserving the wood in the process.

The customer ultimately bought all the designs. Allan will be using Shou Sugi Ban to create darker elements and live edges combined for French château-inspired, modern works of art.

Monroe resident Nina Allendar is a devoted customer.

Such happy customers is keeping the couple’s business booming. Monroe is seeing an influx of retirees and tech executives, some working from home, repurposing dining rooms into offices. “It’s not a Pottery Barn scenario,” Allan noted. They want works of art.

And in making these pieces, the couple is making friends. Customers stop in just to say hello, sometimes with a treat from Sky Valley Bakery next door.

“When people go out of their way to say ‘Hi,’ in a world that’s so busy,” he said, “and we are so isolated from each other… when they show up with a jar of blackberry jam….”

“That they made!” Frances adds. “It doesn’t get better!”

“It doesn’t,” he agreed.

Allan’s conversation moved away from the art he and his wife share to his wife’s own creations. “Her paintings tell a story. Start placing your mind in that scene,” he said. They are full of vibrant colors next to the natural wood tones of the furniture they share space with — like colorful South with customers described as the “average Joe” to tech executives and retirees.

Behind the small storefront is the couple’s workshop. Live edge slabs of walnut, oak and monkeypod lean up against the walls. Two slabs are joined together with space between them, their ends unevenly matched, lying on the floor. Soon the two will become a table top, commissioned

In all of their pieces, you’ll see finely detailed joinery, the heart behind the chosen finish, the choice to reveal the natural edges of wood in honor of its prior life as a growing, living tree. Sometimes the challenge lies in combining the two — the choice of finish and the prior life.

“We were commissioned to design and create furniture for a modern French château. They asked for six submissions,” Allan said while Frances laid out her designs on the worktable in front of him. “It was a challenge to combine them! They

American parrots in trees. Frances’ work gravitates toward 1960s-era imagery, even incorporating the bouffant do’s that adorn her custom pillows featured in Seattle Magazine into chandelier forms that straddle the line of art and utility — “our next big innovation,” he says — “fun and crazy” she says. The artists like to showcase the complimentary work of other artists, including drawer pulls from a local blacksmith. Frances displays some of her custom made dresses and tops, crafted from a customer’s favorite t-shirt collection. Every one is bright, energetic and eclectic like herself.

“I love to work on home decor and different accessories,” she said. She also teaches art at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. The Petersons’ combined talents formed the foundation of their work together. They first began by creating dual purpose furniture that might be faced in a colorful painting by Frances but opened up for a utilitarian purpose.

The custom-order furniture business came out of the blue. The Petersons live in Index and came upon their Monroe storefront while visiting downtown. They filled it with the furniture Allan had been producing out of inspiration and love for carpentry and craftsmanship.

“We opened up the store full of furniture that Allan had made but people came and said ‘that’s pretty cool, but can you do this?’,” Frances said.

And they could. A year ago the Petersons showcased a solid wood ash and walnut credenza, complete with dovetails and bowties, the second in The Monroe Series, “a style we’ve named for the city that has been so good to us.”

“I cannot say enough about Monroe,” Allan said. “I will brag about Monroe.”

Truth be told, Monroe is bragging about them.

CRAFTING DIY & CLASSES

Ben Franklin Crafts 19829 U.S. 2, Monroe, WA

Ben Franklin Crafts & Frame Shop is a bit of a throwback to the old five-and-dime where you could buy a bottle of Tylenol next to a bolt of fabric. In fact, that’s how the business started with Adrian J. Taylor. The elder Taylor passed in 2020 and his son, Adrian C., and family are carrying on the legacy.

“I’d say the legacy is really the community. Our entire family has been part of Monroe for 46 years. We absolutely believe in building people and creating opportunities and service. We believe in creativity and what that does to build a person’s mind and spirit. It’s just amazing,” Adrian C. said. Nearly 50 years after opening in Monroe, the one-time dime store is now more of a hybrid craft and frame store. They sell gifts; custom and awardwinning framing; and everything you need for crafting and creating.

“What you’ll find when you come into the store is people working in categories of crafts and creativity that they have personal interest in. The staff member in our yarn department — she’s a knitter. People in our art department — those people are artists in their own right.” Come by to discover the gifts and products that are created only for Ben Franklin stores, and sign up for the Saturday Sampler class, the store’s most popular class, drawing people to share their work and learn together. Visit: www.bfranklincrafts. com/ben-franklin-in-monroe.

Burkhead Art Center

21416 95th Street SE Snohomish, WA

With a fiery passion for artists and teaching art, Melinda Burkhead, the owner of Burkhead Art Center with an MFA in sculpture, makes learning art fun. Burkhead provides classes, residential programs, and an open studio with access to slab rollers, wheels, and oil time. The center’s 5,000 square feet of creative working space is on five beautiful acres in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. “Our mission is to inspire creatives, connect teachers with students in a vibrant school of art and showcase exhibitions and events,” Melinda said. The studio provides a kiln, clay studio, painting lab, metal and wood shop. Check out their website for shows, artist socials, poster competitions, and classes. Visit: www.burkheadartcenter.com.

Quilting Mayhem

1011 2nd Street, Snohomish, WA

Inspire the quilter in you and experience Quilting Mayhem. The sheer size of the Snohomish quilting shop will have you pause for a deep breath before deciding what direction to go. Need help? Consider a class in quilting, bag making, long-arm sewing or join an open sew event or an over-nighter (they’ve teamed up with local B&B’s for your stay — especially nice for Merry Mayhem Marathon!). Quilting Mayhem is a family-owned shop in downtown Snohomish, offering more than 6,000 bolts of quality shop fabrics, patterns and nations, hundreds of classes and retreats meant to comfortably open the gift of sewing for stitchers of all skill levels.

Visit: www.quiltingmayhem.com.

Quintessential Knits

26331 NE Valley Street Duvall, WA

Local fiber artists, local yarns, local creativity. Knit and purl your way to Quintessential Knits, where crocheting, spinning and weaving are also an essential part of “who we are, not just what we do.” It’s a story of passion for creating and learning. The shop stocks yarn and fiber from local, hand dyed brands such as Intrepid Otter, Earl Grey Fiber Co., Fiber and Hue, and Fiber Fetish Designs, among others. Join owner Judy Quinton for creative camaraderie and fiber arts lessons and open knit and crochet sessions. “Our goal is to provide our clients with beautiful, natural yarns as well as a friendly, comfortable atmosphere for shopping and learning,” she said, adding she’s happy to be starting her own yarn line known as Studio Q in fingering, sport, DK and worsted weights. Don’t know what those are? Stop in, wrap fingers around the fine fibers, fall in love with their textures and colors, and Judy will help you take it from there.

Visit: www.quintessentialknits.com.

Vintage and Rust Studio

202 West Main Street, Monroe, WA

Artist Brittany Johnson at Vintage and Rust Studio began by selling her own signs but is gaining rave reviews from customers who are taking her classes in everything from furniture finishing to “paint your own pet” and DIY sign painting kits. Curated vendors sell homemade candles and jewelry, but the shop focus is on doing what Brittany loves most — teaching art. Stop in and buy a pre-made design to finish yourself, or tell her what you have in mind and she’ll make it for you. There are also pre-cut vinyl decal designs and ready-made art design transfers to choose from. Check it out! You’ll be inspired to sign up for a class with friends before you know it. Visit: www.vintageandruststudio.com.

Wine and Design

2701 Bickford Ave., Unit B Snohomish, WA

Sign up. Show up. Sip Up. It’s a paint party at Wine and Design in Snohomish. Private events, art classes for kids, team building for company colleagues, and paint it forward events are all the rage. Looking for a fun night out? Join your friends for a private or a public paint and sip party. “Create memories and masterpieces” during a two-hour painting class — canvas, paint and brush and instruction provided. Art Buzz Kids will help “turn your peanut into a Picasso,” inspiring them to explore their creativity in a child’s version of the adult paint party. Wine and Design will even bring the party to you. Visit: www.wineanddesign. com/snohomish-wa.