Beauty in the Imperfections
Michael Stansbery began designing and working with wood at the curious age of 10. A third-generation woodworker, the little boy learned how to build with the same hand tools his great-grandfathers used back in the 1800’s. Michael marveled at how each piece of wood was unique in grain, texture, hue, knots… Even the imperfections fascinated him…especially the imperfections. Oh, the possibilities! He carried this curiosity into adulthood into his love of architecture and the designing and building of theatrical sets. Michael was the technical director and/or set designer for over 125 shows. As a Professor and Theatre Department Chair at PPCC for over 20 years and Resident Set Designer for Theatreworks at UCCS, his set designs were praised nationally and internationally. Audiences raved that some sets were so inviting, realistic, and rich with detail, they wanted to move right in. And all major furniture eventually found its way from the stage to Conference Rooms and private homes across Colorado.
The quality of Michael’s woodworking reflects his mantra for students and employees: ‘Good enough isn’t.’ Being the son of David Honor Stansbery, a renowned Educator and Ecologist, Michael learned the value of preserving the environment and reusing natural materials to create something new. Old decks turn into furniture! Dressers turn into toys!
Just as he tailored his set designs to fit each play, so does he customize, upon request, for each customer. It could be fashioning a sofa table to fit the lines of your sofa, adding drop leaves and lowering shelves to your existing coffee table, etc. You can be involved from concept to construction, to achieve your desired effect. Or simply choose from the array of hand-crafted wood pieces shown and described on the website.
