Designer-Favorite Furniture Maker Opens Charleston Shop

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Cauthen’s Trestle Base Signature Farm Table

Designer-favorite Landrum Tables has teamed up with Cecil Byrne Gallery to share a doubly chic space in downtown Charleston’s historic district.

After 15 years hand-making furniture with “fine lines in rough wood,” former antiques dealer and woodworker Capers Cauthen combined forces with his longtime friend, gallery director Cecilia Murray, in September. The reason? His tables, which had previously been used as display pieces in her space, had all sold out.

He sees the merger as a way to capture valuable walk-in traffic for his ready-made items–especially since the gallery represents a valuable stop on the city’s monthly art walk.

Owner and craftsman Capers Cauthen set up shop inside Cecil Byrne Gallery in Charleston.

Owner and craftsman Capers Cauthen set up shop inside Cecil Byrne Gallery in Charleston.

His Signature Console With Shelf, available in woods like heart pine and cypress, is a go-to for designer clientele.

His Signature Console With Shelf, available in woods like heart pine and cypress, is a go-to for designer clientele.

A side view of his Stretcher Base Signature Farm Table

A side view of his Stretcher Base Signature Farm Table

Crafted in Cauthen’s North Charleston workshop, Landrum Tables are made from rich woods like pine and cypress reclaimed from barns and other forlorn structures in Avondale, Marion, Beaufort and beyond.

Available in any of 10 artisan finishes, the furnishings — mostly made to order — retain vestiges of their former lives, like nail holes, saw marks, Roman numerals or initials carved into the wood by carpenters. For this reason, Cauthen says, people sometimes mistake them for antiques.

“The wood speaks history,” explains the artisan, who says the cornerstone of his 20-piece line is a streamlined console created specifically to fill a designer need (Amelia Handegan and Melissa Ervin are longtime fans).

Customers are welcome to provide their own “sentimental woods” for Cauthen to work with, while those seeking exceptional quality may be drawn to his limited-run Charleston Collection, which crafts the same silhouettes from woods pulled from iconic 19th-century homes undergoing restoration work on Society, Trade and Nassau Streets.

“The building inspectors won’t allow you to rebuild with the old wood,” he says. “I have good relationships with a lot of the contractors, so if good wood gets thrown out, I’m going to take it. I see this as a way to keep Charleston wood in Charleston.”

Landrum Tables is located at 60 Broad St. in Charleston.

PHOTOS COURTESY LANDRUM TABLES